May 2008 Archives

Who woulda thunk it? Gorgeous but low-ranked Robby Ginepri is the last American tennis player - male or female - who is still in contention to win the French Open. I'm quite sure that he will not win but he has already exceeded expectations by winning his first three matches at the tournament. He had never before won a match on the clay courts of Paris and is the first American man in seven years to make it to the fourth round.

The same cannot be said of Andy Roddick who did not even compete here (injury) or James Blake, Vince Spadea and Mardy Fish who both lost early. As for the U.S. women, former champion Serena Williams was shockingly beaten on Saturday as was her older sister Venus who was runner-up here in 2002., Venus Williams is defending champion at next month's Wimbledon where she has won four times..

Best of luck to Robby!

Sunday night is the premiere of "Million Dollar Password" to be hosted by Regis. I'm pretty pleased with the celebrity line-up of Neil Patrick Harris, Rosie O'Doinnell and Betty White. Betty was married to original Password host Allen Ludden and frequently guested. I was a Password freak as a kid, used to dream about being on the show and remember being over the moon when my parents gave me the board game for Christmas one year.

Neil Patrick Harris thinks he's pretty hot stuff in a love scene - even if it is with a woman!

The Emmy-nominated star of "How I Met Your Mother" joked to The Hollywood Reporter: , "I made out with Cobie Smulders last week on the show, and when I watched it I got an erection. And she's a chick, you know what I'm saying?"

NPH reflected a bit about his coming out back in summer 2006: "There have been very few negative repercussions about my revelations about my personal life, partly because I was on the show already playing Barney, partly because I was very candid with everyone in my work world about my life so it asn't like this big scandalous revelation. It was a nice moment of clarity and exhalation to see that everyone kind of shrugged...there's a lot of people that appreciate that an actor acts."

I love that NPH can convingly play a womanizer on TV, but I'd actually like to see him have his first same-sex love scene sometime!

I'm not sure who's cuter, Anderson Cooper or the damned puppet. Who am I kiddin? It's Anderson, of course!

Project Runway winner Christian Siriano made some comments in this week's Time Out New York that he apparently now regrets. He was asked about drag and its everlasting appeal. Here's what Christian said: "If you think of heterosexuals, they have white-trash women and trailer parks, and we have drag queens and trannies. I don't know if I'm the one who can explain it. It's, like, drag queens are just there. These answers are hard!"
I got a note from GLAAD's Damon Romine this morning with an explanation from Chrisitan: "I wish that my words were not taken in that way. When I was speaking, some comments that I made were not used in the article. I completely support the fabulousness and amazing fashion inspiration that most transgender people provide."

"I know plenty of trans people," he added. "Some of my best friends had the struggle finding themselves. As did I considering that I am a very flamboyant gay man. I mean no disrespect to the transgender population and I never will. Some of my close friends happen to be transgender and I think they are some of the most inspiring people in my life."

Who does this dame think she is?

Gap-toothed model Lauren Hutton was on "Today" Thursday morning being interivewed by Kathie Lee Gifford when the topic of the awesome "Sex and the City" came up. Hutton, who has never seen the show or the movie decided to spout off with an opinion anyway. Here's what she had to say:

"It's written by guys, who happen to be gay, who are sluts. That's what I think. Let's face it most men are sluts. That's what testosterone is supposed to do. As a hunter, if you stayed alive after 30, nature wanted your genes out there. Women were just trying to get the best sperm to make a masterpiece. You have a bunch a guys who are sluts, writing for women and telling them they are supposed to act like this....I've never seen the show. Are the girls like that or not?"

Sounds like she has a gap in her brain. I don't like her.

Davd Cook sang his number one hit on "The Today Show" on Thursday morning. This guy is on fire right now!

Not only is Cook a big star, he also has a big heart. Amid all of this hubbub, he took the time to visit fellow Top 24 contestant Luke Menard, who was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

The "Idol" champ said to People.com: "I love Luke and I just wanted to show up and make sure that he understood that I love him and know that if there's anything I can do for him and his wife, sign me up, you know? Luke, Michael Johns, Jason Yeager and myself, we kind of buddied up one day at Hollywood week. We called ourselves the four horsemen. Any time one of your own is going through something as horrible as that, it makes everything else seem a little bit insignificant."

I'm in Palm Springs for a little holiday and am off to happy hour. So, I'll just post this clip without my usual commentary and will do some light posting tomorrow as well...

Poor Amelie Mauresmo.

Just two years ago, the tennis tour's most prominant out player, was ranked number one in the world with the Australian Open title in her pocket. She would go on to add Wimbledon to her trophy collection in the summer.

But since then, she's been in a free-fall and that continued Thursday when she was beaten by a low-ranked qualifier in the second round of the French Open. It is her home tournament and she has longed stuggled there (French players often feel immense pressure in Paris) but I was hoping she would be able to reverse her sagging fortunes.

Hang in there Amelie!

Gee, I'm sure this will be a real page turner...NOT!

Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, is writing a book that will reflect on the turmoil after his arrest last year in an airport sex sting. Craig is retiring in January after 18 years in the Senate and a decade in the House.

He told KTVB-TV in Boise, Idaho, the book will focus on "the state of politics" in Washington, but also will review his career, including his arrest by an undercover officer in a men's room at the Minneapolis airport that inspired toe tapping comedy routines everywhere.

"There will be a bit of what's happened in the last year and the way it evolved," Craig said. "I think that's important for Idaho and those outside Idaho who are interested to know."

I don't expect the book to have a shred of truth in regards to the bathroom incident, do you?

Apparently so, reports People magazine.

The mother is the sister of music producer David Foster. "The story is true," Bill Vigars, a Vancouver-based rep for David Foster, told PEOPLE Wednesday, of the TMZ.com report that Aiken, 29, impregnated David's sister, music producer Jaymes Foster. "It is true Clay is the father. She was artificially inseminated by Clay. She's due in August."

Vigars added of Aiken and Foster, "They have been friends ever since American Idol, when they worked together." Foster also executive produced Aiken's album A Thousand Different Ways.

Aiken's reps have not yet commented.

I've seen it! I loved it!

To have Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and especially Samantha back in my life for two hours was just glorious. Went to a screening of "Sex and the City" last night in Hollywood and the excitement inside the ArcLight Theater was palpable. Once the lights went down and the music started, people cheered. And the movie hadn't even started yet!

I like that in the opening, each character is updated in a recap so that if you aren't familiar with the series, you can still see the flick and not be lost. It's probably for all those poor straight guys being dragged along by their girlfriends I guess because the women and the gay guys don't need any kind of recap!

It's all here: the clothes, the hair, the brunches, the puns ("I have to get over my Mexi-coma") the frank talk about sex, the Cosmos! I'm glad they waited four years to make the movie because it made me miss these girls and gave me time to get to know them better through the TBS reruns and the DVDs. Kim Cattrall, who is sublime as Samantha, was the holdout on an earlier planned film. She is worth waiting for. Everytime she is on screen, you know you are in for some fun. My favorite line in the entire movie was one she delivers to an unwaxed bikini-clad Miranda: "I could be on death row and not have that (wave of the hand to her unkept crotch area) ...situation."

There is bigtime Carrie and Mr. Big drama. Did you think we were through with that? It gives star Sarah Jessica Parker a chance to really do some terrific acting. She is first-rate and her Carrie Bradshaw is as interesting and wonderful as ever

The chemistry between Parker, Catrall, Cynthia Nixon (Miranda) and Kristin Davis (Charlotte) is as great as it ever was and it is a blast to be in their company once again. Please, please, please make an other one!.

As far as the other actors: Chris Noth is right at home as Mr. Big and he is terrific. The character has grown and made it easier to understand why Carrie would end up with him and not the wonderful Aiden (that character not in the movie). I won't spoil things and tell you whether Carrie and Big get married or not!

All the other familiar faces are on hand with Dave Eigenberg as Miranda's husband, Steve, and Jason Lewis and Samantha's man, Smith, getting the most screentime. The interesting thing is that since the series ended four years ago,Dave has became hotter than Jason! Somebody has been working out, so much so that he gets a naked rear-end shot and it is mighty fine. Mario Cantone is, of course Carrie's wedding planner and he makes the most of his screentime with delicious delivery of every line, His character seems a tad more mellow though and, I think, is now dating Stanford (Willie Garson).

The friend I took to the movie thought Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson was just awful as Carrie's assistant. I thought she was OK and was happy to see her on-screen again. The part wasn't exactly Effie in "Dreamgirls." I thought she was kinda sweet in the movie.

Anyway, go see it. You will love it.

...The Oscar winning singer-songwriter turns 47 today! The mother of four has been such an inspiration through her music, her activism and her battle over breast cancer. Who can forget when she took the stage during the Grammys one year with a completely bald head? She's articulate and thoughtful and asked tough questions during the LGBT Democratci presidential debate.

Melissa is just one of those class acts who you are so proud to have as a member of the LGBT community.

...the out actor actor turns 49 today. The star of such films as "My Best Friends Wedding," "An Ideal Husband" and "Another Country" will always have my respect for being one of the earlier male actors to come out publicly and his talent is enormous. I do hope that as he approaches 50, he will not sound as bitter in his interviews. He's got the looks, he's got the talent. A more positive point of view would be nice...

Antonio Sabato Jr. never dreamed about joining the circus when he was a kid. But after an acting career that has included stints on such shows as "General Hospital," "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "Melrose Place," Antonio somehow found himself Wednesday morning working enormously hard to perfect a trapeze act.

"I'm loving every minute of it but with the trapeze, it's bringing a lot of fear and anxiety," he admitted. "I have to let go of the bar, fly forward, and get caught by someone and I eventually have to do it without wearing a harness. There's so many things that have to
happen at exactly the right time."

I'm a wreck just hearing him describe it then he adds: "It's all about being relaxed and loose."

Good luck with that!

Antonio has perfecting various circus routines for the past six weeks at a training facility in Burbank. But on June 11, he will be doing it on television and in front of a live studio audience when NBC's summer reality competition "Celebrity Circus" makes its debut.

I visited the facility last week and watched Antonio work a routine with silk that has him soaring in the air to music and doing all kinds of amazing moves. He was so involved in the practice under the guidance of professional trainers, that we had to finish our
interview on the telephone Wednesday.
The 36-year-old actor and former Calvin Klein model has never had problems finding acting gigs during a career that includes many film roles, television guest spots and regular roles in the prime-time series "Earth 2" and "The Help." So, why the heck is he doing this?

Wouldn't it be a lot easier - and safer - to just book a movie or TV job?

"It's the challenge," he said. "I've always been sort of a physical person who likes to do crazy things in my own private life. This is something I've always enjoyed watching. Then I found out that it is extremely, extremely hard. The hardest thing I've ever done physically and mentally. It's been nine hours a day, five days a week of training and we don't have much time."

Along with Antonio, the other celebrities currently in circus boot camp are Jason "Wee Man" Acuna, Christopher Knight, Blu Cantrell and Janet Evans. Viewers will get to vote on which celeb is eliminated after hearing from a panel of judges.

"All of them are wonderful people and I've enjoyed being around them," he said of his fellow celebs. "This kind oif situation is so difficult and hard, you leave your baggage and ego at the door. These are amazing people I'm gonna know the rest of my lifre, we really
have bonded."

He promises a terrific show: "I think it's going to be entertaining and really beauitful to see for kids, teens and adults," he said, "It's not gonna be a cheesy kind of show. It will be really beautiful to look at."

If anyone has something worthwhile to say, it's certainly Billie Jean King. The tennis legend and equal rights pioneer announced Wednesday that she is writing "Pressure is a Privledge: Lessons I've Learned from Life and from the Battle of the Sexes" to be released on August 12.

The book is being published in conjunction with the 35th anniversary of the 1973 battle of the sexes match against Bobby Riggs that caught the world's attention and ended up not only being one of the most pivotal moments in the history of women's sports, but American culture as well. That match, which BJK won, obviously, will be the backdrop for this book about all the lessons she has learned along the way during that has been an extraordinary life. It is co-written with journalist Christine Brennen and the preface is by Holly Hunter who portrayed Billie Jean in a TV movie about the battle of the sexes match.

Well, at least there's one semi-cool member of the Bush family. First Daughter Jenna Bush, who got married at the family's Texas ranch a few weeks back, appears on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show today and had a fun exchange with her lesbian host who recentlt announced that she plans to marry Portia de Rossi.

Ellen: "So, the ranch was a great place to get married. It looked like nobody could fly over and get pictures or bother you, really."
Jenna: Yeah. That was really nice."
Ellen: So, can we borrow it for our wedding. Can we get the ranch?"
Jenna: Sure.

Meanwhile, the Sacramento Bee published this story today: Signaling a generational shift in attitudes, a new Field Poll on Tuesday said California voters now support legal marriage between same-sex couples and oppose a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

By 51 to 42 percent, state voters believe gay couples have the right to marry, according to a May 17-26 poll of 1,052 registered voters.

However, the same poll revealed a California electorate that remains sharply divided over gay marriage - split by age, political affiliation, religion and the regions where they live. The poll was taken after the May 15 California Supreme Court decision overturning a state ban on same-sex marriages. The results marked the first time in more than 30 years of state polling that a majority of Field Poll respondents favored making gay marriage legal.

In 2000, more than 61 percent of voters approved Proposition 22, a statute declaring that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid in California.

Novak Djokovic (above) easily won his second-round match in Paris on Wednesday and was nice enough tio give us a look at his cute tummy along the way. Meanwhile, American hottie Robby Ginepri (right) and his biceps were also in action. I'm not sure why Robby's arm is bandaged but I hope it isn't impacting his play. With an injured Andy Roddick not playing in the tournament this year, Robby is my designated heartthrob - American division.

He was television's "Perry Mason" and "Ironside" and told the world he was too busy working to get married again. Raymond Burr had long maintained that he had been married and had a wife and son who died. Unlike Rock Hudson, who actually did get married briefly to try and cover his homosexuality, Burr made the whole thing up!

In the new book, "Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr", the actor once lectured a reporter during an interview when he was asked why he had not remarried: "I am an unmarried man, as opposed to a single man. A bachelor, according to the dictionary, is a man who has never been married. An unmarried man is not married at the moment. Many of these terms have fallen into disuse."

It's true, he was an unmarried man. But he was also a man who had a partner named Robert Benevides for 35 years that was secret to most of the world except for a handful of close friends.

The author of the book, Michael Starr, was on "Good Morning America" this week and interviewed by the extremely hot Chris Cuomo. The show's site has an excerpt from the book posted.

It is sad that he felt forced to lie about his private life. As the star of a top-rated show, there was scrutiny and being gay would have been a career killer. You gotta figure there are plenty of actors still hiding for cover today but let's hope that such out actors as Ian McKellen, John Barrowman, Neil Patrick Harris, Robert Gant, Chad Allen, T.R. Knight, Luke MacFarlane, Alec Mapa, Wilson Cruz, Charlie David and others are showing that you can be out and proud and still have a successful career.

Indiana Jones? Who cares! I'm counting the minutes until I see "Sex and the City" at an advance screening at the ArcLight in Hollywood tonight. I haven't been this excited about a movie since "The Devil Wears Prada" two summers ago.

That makes me sound so gay! But you already knew that.

Anyway, there was quite a splashy premiere of "SATC" in New York City Tuesday night, a place that is really the fifth character on the show. Sarah Jessica Parker (left) was wearing a flowing metalic Nina Ricci gown (I don't give a rats about fashion but in case you do) and made a rare red carpet appearance with her hubby, Tony winner Matthew Broderick. Of course the glorious Kim Catrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis were also there along with cast members Chris Noth, Jason Lewis, Jennifer Hudson and Mario Catone.

It was a star-studded affair with the divine Bette Midler in attendance along with cool ladies like Lorraine Bracco, Jill Hennessy, Mary J. Blige, Gayle King, Katie Couric, Mary J. Blige and Fergie.

Among the guys were Regis Philbin with his wife Joy, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld, and the grotesque Donald Trump who wouldn't dare miss a photo op like this..

Nice words from readers...
I like the new look of your blog. It was a pleasant surprise, not that there was anything wrong with the other one. Thanks also for the entertaining interviews and background look at all Hollywood and a some tennis, especially the pictures.
Allen Hollis

Hiya Greg!
A few days ago I came across your Out in Hollywood blog and I now want to let you know that I've been enjoying reading it (and yes, drooling over some of the pictures). Luckily I can access your blog from work as well as home so I can stay abreast of your witticisms and commentary. Thanks for Out in Hollywood, it really makes my day!!
Best,
Mark
a/k/a behrmark

He loves Robert Conrad too...
HI Greg!
I love your site... One of the best on the web!
I love the photo of Robert Conrad! He was my first crush. I recall watching "Wild Wild West" and as a kid before I even knew what "gay" was, I knew some how, some way, I was attracted to this man. I couldn't put my finger on it at the time, but come to know later, he was my first introduction to my attraction to men.
Thanks for posting a photo of this man's man.
Best regards,
Joey

On Scotty and Kevin's wedding
The spin on the "history" makin' show is vacuous.Greg Hernandez should be reminded that the majority of decent, moral Californians shun such a TV program. Rightly so, as true marriage (commitment)is constituted by a man and a woman! The Scriptures teach that the ones dedicated to a homosexual life-style will suffer for their choice to go against God's will.
Kenneth Grissom

Jodie Foster Interview
Dear Greg:
Enjoyed your interview with Jodie Foster. Since see and I are both the same age, graduated from HS and college the same time, it was so nice to see a nice normal human being who is in the public eye. Great Job!
Thanks,

Thanks For Supporting Mulligans
Greg. I saw the posting you did on mulligans recently and just wanted to thank you. I've seen it picked up on a few other blogs. We really appreciate the support!
Best,
Charlie David

Where is Thomas Roberts?I just saw your post about Thomas Roberts and wanted to let you know he was fired by The Insider. All sorts of drama went done (none that I'm at liberty to repeat) but I can say it wasn't the rumored pics from manhunt.
DK

Greg--
You should ask your buddy Kenneth Walsh about Thomas Roberts' whereabouts. He callously published naked photos he claimed were Roberts on his blog and then proudly patted himself on the back when the story was picked up by shows like "Entertainment Tonight" and blog/tv shows like "TMZ". Mr. Roberts then disappeared from television. I have no idea if there other issues involved but Walsh's blatant disregard for Thomas Robert's welfare and livelihood is staggering.
Kenneth Walsh is not a nice guy.
Sincerely,
Joe Kirkendall

Designing Women Book
Dear Greg,
I'm always a little late, but just discovered your kind words about my Designing Women book on your blog. Thank you so much.
Best,
Allen Crowe

...because Christian Bale's face is just made for a magazine cover, don't you think?

With "The Dark Night," the new Batman movie, coming out soon, the most handsome craped crusader of them all will be doing plenty of press and publicity. He's a tremendous actor who happens to also be a movie star and has one of the most interesting bodies of work around. It includes his breakthrough performance in "American Psycho" and last year's terrific "Rescue Dawn."

If you missed it in theaters and haven't seen in on here! TV, now is your chance to rent or buy "Shelter," one of the best LGBT movies of this year or any year.

I've seen it about a dozen times since I was given a screener of it last summer and it gets better with each viewing and my admiration for the work of stars Trevor Wright and Brad Rowe and director-writer Jonah Markowitz.

While this has been labeled as "a gay surfing flick," surfing is really just a sexy backdrop for the story of Zach (Wright), a young man working a dead-end job and helping his needy sister care for her young son. When Zach becomes involved with the older brother of his best friend (Rowe), the relationship calls into question all of his assumptions about family, self-identity and the future.

I've written tons about this movie and here are a few links to previous entries:

*** A Cpnversation with the director of "Shelter"

*** The Out In Hollywood Interview: "Shelter" star Brad Rowe...

*** Trevor Wright talks about his gay role in Shelter

*** The marketing campaign for "Shelter" begins...

*** A Shelter clip worth watching...

When here! Networks bought The Advocate from PlanetOut Inc., people wondered what kind of changes might be in store for the leading LGBT news magazine. The first change is a big one: Jon Barrett has been named the new editor in chief.

He replaces Anne Stockwell who remains as editor at large. I've worked with Anne several times in recent years and think she's first-rate. I hope she enjoys her new role which will also include story assignments for sister publications Out and Out Traveler.

Here's a statement from Barrett: "The Advocate has always mirrored the needs of its readership, whether that meant advancing the explosive push for civil rights in the 1960s, documenting the heady liberation of the 1970s, or assuming the serious--and necessary--mantle of newsmagazine in the 1980s and '90s. What it means to be a member of the LGBT community continues to evolve, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to carry on with Anne Stockwell's incredible work, ensuring that The Advocate and Advocate.com are in step with--and ahead of--these changes."

He certainly comes in with strong credentials: Barrett most recently served as the Features Director for O at Home, an Oprah Magazine. Prior to that, he worked as the Senior Editor for Cargo, from the Conde Nast group, and as a Senior Editor for Real Simple, a Time Inc. publication. He now comes back to The Advocate after having served for six years as the publication's Senior News Editor from 1997-2003. Before coming to The Advocate he was an Assistant Editor at the Windy City Times, Chicago's premier LGBT weekly newspaper.

His writing credits also include two books: 2002's Hero of Flight 93: Mark Bingham, from Alyson Books, and working as a writing collaborator on Evan Wolfson's Why Marriage Matters, published by Simon & Schuster in 2004.

...but it's always nice to see Mario Lopez splashing around. His girlfriend (the women from the dancing show) is in some of the other photos I've seen posted today but I thought it would be better to just focus on Mario, alone and wet.

Rafael Nadal's green ensembe for his match Tuesday at the French Open is really not working for me. If he doesn't win a fourth consecutive title in Paris, he will win worst dressed honors for sure.

Yuck!

Joey Lawrence has so much going on right now that when we gabbed last week, we almost forgot to discuss "Master of Dance," the new reality competition show that he hosts.

First we had to talk about last week's 'Dancing With the Stars" finale since Joey made such a splash on the show a few seasons back and went on to headline three "Dancing" national tours.

"I think Kristi (Yamaguchi) deserved it," he said of the celeb champ. "Her ice skating background helped but skates and bare feet really are totally different. The unfortunate thing was she was so much better than anyone else and you sort of knew she'd win."

For Joey, his involvement with the celebrity dancing show helped him to cross the often treacherous bridge between being a child star and teen idol to adult stardom. He shaved-off the shaggy locks from his years on NBC's "Blossom" and "Gimme a Break" and along with a sculpted body, was able to show the viewing audience that he is now a
man.

"I always hated long hair!" he confessed. "I had to have it, became known for it. But I don't want to be the guy who grows up still trying to look like I did when I was 18."

But shaving his head was just the beginning. Last season, Joey landed a three-episode arc on CBS' "CSI: New York" where he got to play against type in his role as a serial killer. He also took on the role of Billy Flynn in a touring production of "Chicago" where he was able to show off his singing and dancing abilities and is planning his
first album in more than 10 years.

"You gotta keep banging away, only the strong survive," Joey said. "It's all about growing gracefully and finding the right time. George Clooney jumped around until he was like 36 before he got 'ER,' Patrick Dempsey found 'Grey's Anatomy' at 40."

So what about this "Master of Dance" show which premieres on June 9 on the TLC channel. Contestants will be judged on style, genre and personality as they compete for a $50,000 grand prize.

"Dude, it is so much fun," Joey said. "We had a standing room audience..it looks like a rock concert. Everything came together. I think the fans will have such a great time. It's like a big popcorn show but there's drama and stakes. People go nuts."

It is so sad to learn about the death of director-actor-producer Sidney Pollack today. I saw "Made of Honor" last weekend which featured what I believe was his last film role as Patrick Dempsey's much-married dad. It was the kind of solid performance we came to expect of Mr. Pollack who is best known to many for his recurring role as the father of Will (Eric McCormack) on "Will & Grace." As an actor, he was also terrific in last year's "Michael Clayton," as Dustin Hoffman's agent in "Tootsie" and he was one of the best things about the strange "Eyes Wide Shut."
His greatest triumphs were as a director. He helmed two of my all-time favorites: "The Way We Were" and "Out of Africa." His other directorial credits included "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" "The Firm," "Tootsie," "Absence of Malice", "Three Days of the Condor," and the 1995 remake of "Sabrina."

He won two Oscars for directing and producing "Out of Africa" and was nominated this year as one of the producers of "Michael Clayton." He also won and Emmy for television directing.

What makes his death all the more sad is that Pollack still had so much going on, so much more to do. He was a producer of HBO's "Recount" which premiered just last night and had other projects in production.

May he rest in peace.

Here is some of one of his most memorable roles in "Tootsie" which he also directed:

...the great actor Ian McKellen who turned 69 years old on Sunday. He's been Mr. Blockbuster in recent years with key roles in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and the "X-Men" franchise. But he had been a Tony winning ("Amadeus") and Oscar nominated ("Gods and Monsters") for many decades.

He came out publicly 10 years ago, is now an outspoken gay rights activist, and has only become an even bigger star since. Of course, we love him all the more for bringing a young, hot date to the Oscars the year he was nominated for "Gods and Monsters."

If Roger Federer can win the French Open, which began on Sunday, everyone will very quickly forget about the horrible year he has been having so far. The number one player in men's tennis since 2004, Roger has won five Wimbledons in a row, four US Opens in a row, and three Australian Open titles. But the last three years, Rafael Nadal has beaten him in Paris and denied him the one major tournament he has yet to win. Very few players have won all four in their entire career. They are: Andre Agassi, Rod Laver, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson and Don Budge. Roger won his first match. Only six more to go to join that very exclusive club.

It took Novak Djokovic four tense sets to won his first match in Paris (it takes seven wins to be the champion). I wonder if the number three player in the world is feeling the pressure. He could face three-time defending champ Rafael Nadal in the semifinals and if he beats Rafa, would take over the number two ranking. Novak has already won the Australian Open this year and is cute as a button.
...and finally, there is Carlos Moya who lost his first-round match. This is disappointing on several levels. First off, Carlos is among the best guy candy yer gonna have at any tournament so to have him out already is sad! Secondly, the red clay in Paris is where Carlos enjoyed his greatest triumph: he was French Open champion in 1998 and briefly ranked number one in the world the next year. Thirdly, Carlos is now 32 years old - young as a man but ancient for a tennis player. He won't be playing too many more years, especially if he keeps having bad losses like this!

Meanwhile, Frenchman Richard Gasquet has pulled out of his country's tournament even before his first match. He apparently is suffering from a knee injury. Richard is of interest to me because he has felt the need to at least twice publicly announce that he is not gay.
OK. If you say so.

My friend Michelle used to talk about what it takes for a party to achieve legendary status. I don't remember all of her critieria but it included everyone having such a good time that it would be talked about for some time to come. I think the "Sex and the City" party at Here Lounge in West Hollywood on Saturday night definitely achieve legendary status in a lot of people's minds.

Sure, there were some celebrities there like Lance Bass (far cuter in person than in photos, everyone seemed to agree), JP Calderon of "Survivor" and "Janice Dickerson Modeling Agency," Ross Mathews (the intern from "The Tonight Show") and Jeff, the guy from "Flipping Out." But the real stars were everyone who had the good sense to show up to this incredible party.

I had met my friends Danny and Eddie at The Abbey beforehand for dinner and they were dubious about heading next door right at 8 p.m. since that was the official start time. I kept saying, "It's free drinks! It's free drinks!" So walked over about 8:05 and the line was already around the block. Apparently the whole town knew about the free Cosmos, I didn't have any special VIP or press access so we just had to wait in line but I was tempted to use my usual :"I'm Samantha Jones" line which never gets me anywhere but someday a doorman will get the joke and let me on in.

The place was instantly packed. It was such a great energy and I felt like everyone I've ever known was there! I was gabbing with Ross Mathews and I got a text from my friend Jim Key (pictured with me on the right) saying he was at the other side of the bar. The place was such a sea of people that when we went to look for Jim, we could not find him. This place is not that big, but it was that crowded!

Just gabbed with everyone, caught up with old friends, made new friends, and actually gave my free Cosmo away. Much too strong and I was having too much fun to drink believe it or not. But about 11 p.m., Lance Bass left the VIP area near where we were standing and Daniel said to me, "I want to sit down." So I followed him to the VIP area and sat down with him and a few other guys in our group. Next thing I know, he's serving drinks from the free booze there and no one is questioning what the heck we are doing there. Better to apologize than to ask permission I always say.

Here's the really funny part of the whole VIP thing though: My friend Michael had been at a dinner party and was going to join us later. He called from the Pacific Design Center and said he was coming in. I said, "We're in the VIP area." So Michael gets to the club, the line is around the block, so he walks right up to the security dude and announces, in all innocence: "I'm here to meet Greg Hernandez in the VIP area." Security dude asks some other dude who checks with a guy with a clipboard and headset and Michael gets waved in!

Gee, maybe I'm going to be able to start using my real name instead of saying I'm Samantha Jones when trying to cut the line!

Many thanks to photographer Brian Putnam for the photos. Brian never misses a good party!

Full disclosure here: I am a huge Denis Leary fan and think his movie, "The Ref," is one of the funniest black comedies ever made. He played a smart-aleck thief who ends up holding a bickering couple, played brilliantly by Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis hostage on Christmas Eve.

Trust me, it's a scream.

Denis is once again appearing in a movie with Spacey: "Recount," premiering tonight on HBO. It chronicles the five weeks between the 2000 presidential election and the December Supreme Court ruling that upheld Florida's count and gave George W. Bush the White House over Al Gore.

"It's the first time I've done (a film) where it's actual real people and the real events," Denis told me recently. "We tried to make it as real as possible. It's very intense. It was intimidating because these people are all real and had all been interviewed. You want to make everything as close to what went on as possible."

The movie will give fans of Denis a chance to see him in something new since his FX series "Rescue Me" will not return to the air until April 2009 after the writers strike pushed back production.

"Shooting and writing 'Rescue Me' is like doing six movies a year so I really turn everything down because I'd rather have the time off," Denis said. "But when Kevin called me, he said, 'You've gotta read this.' It's one of those movies where we all know what happened but the reason we watch is we don't know what happened behind the scenes. It shows the process. I thought this is a good message about why you need to vote."

For "Rescue Me" fans in dire need of a fix, season four of the show is being released on DVD June 3. Denis not only stars as veteran firefighter Tommy Gavin on the drama centering on the inner workings of a New York City firehouse post-9/11, but he is also co-creator of the series and one of its writers.

Tommy's personal life is forever in turmoil and he is haunted by the memory of those he watched die on the job. Denis has earned both an Emmy and Golden Globe award nomination for his performance.

"Tommy is based on two friends of mine, a lot of the angst and turmoil and even comedy is based on what we get from these guys," he said. "The great thing about firemen, guys that stay in the job, with their life and memory bank full of grief, they are still jumping in burning buses and pulling kids out."

But I wondered how the heck Denis can play Tommy year after year. The character is an alcoholic who has had a painful split from his wife, his son was hit by a car and killed, his brother got involved with his ex-wife behind his back then was later killed, and the widow of a fellow firefighter drugs Tommy with sleeping pills and Viagra to try and get pregnant with his child.

"The good thing about 'Rescue Me' is that no matter what else is going on, there's a lot of action because they're firemen. As heavy as it might get, you know every two weeks there will be 2-3 days of stunt work. We really wear the tanks and work with real smoke and real fire. It's exciting to pretend to be a man of action. It takes your mind out of it."

"Sometimes you go to work and it's not fun. Whatever it's supposed to be, it's not. It's a nightmare and you're counting the days. It's really nice to go to work and have a really good time."

Online extras:
On attending award shows: "I don't like getting dressed up in a monkey suit. My wife gets to get dressed up in an evening gown. It doesn't bother me walking down being interviewed. I don't really give a (expletive). I got named worst dressed at one of the Emmys for wearing a black shirt with a red tie. I was in People magazine. Oh cool! That's my relationship with fashion. I have no idea. for me, it's all about the show."

The Ref: "Our whole thing was, we have to surround ourselves with the best actors possible. They wanted Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold to play the married couple. I learned the lesson that you really have to have a cast of people that allows you to do it."

Here are some clips from "The Ref" to give you a taste of why I love this movie:

...the great Patti LaBelle! The beautiful, ageless diva turns 64 years old today. We love Patti for so many reasons. But the biggest reason: she loves her gay fans and understands them. Here are some excerpts from an Advocate interview she did a few years back:

Q. Why do you think you appeal so much to the gay community?
Patti: I guess because they see no prejudice in me and no judgment. I don't judge you because you love who you love. I don't judge because of the color that you are. I don't judge anything. I'm very honest with gay people. I'm very honest with calling you out and saying come up to the front of the stage and let the audience know that you're gay. You're breathing and you're just like them. The only thing that you have is a different sexual orientation. I'm honest, and most gay people appreciate that.

Q. At what point in your career did you know you had a gay following?
Patti: I've been in this business for 45 years--I've known for 43 years that I've had a strong gay following and loved every minute of it.

Q. What's your take on transgender people?
Patti: That's the way they were born -- people put them through hell! This is the body that they were born in. They want to get changed into a woman because that's who they feel they are. If they can afford it -- do you think I'm going to read them? Get on their case? My God, people put too much worry and emphasis on things that they should not be. Try to worry and figure out world peace, not the piece that the person has on them! I'm sick of people! I am, you can say that too...judging. Everybody's got to judge.

Love, love, love ya Patti. Here are some clips of the Grammy winning legend singing "Forever Young" which she most certainly is:

Not to be missed is Patti's version of "You'll Never Walk Alone": (below)

Stefan Edberg is one of my all-time crushes. Top five, lifetime. This is famous people crushes I'm talking about. He was the number one tennis player in the world on and off in the early 1990s and the winner of two US Opens, two Wimbledons and two Australian Opens. His serve and volley game was so exciting to watch and so were his increible legs! Anyway, Stefan retired in 1996 but is going to play competitive tennis for the first time in 12 years! He has signed up to play on the BlackRock Tour of Champions in 2008. Pete Sampras announced last mionth that he too was going to play some of the events.

"It's great to hear that Stefan is going to be playing because he's a great guy and a great player," Sampras said in a newspaper interview. "I'm looking forward to playing against him because I always looked up to him with his serve-volley game, his movement and the attitude that he had. I always thought that he was a real gentleman and I'm looking forward to seeing him, talking to him and just seeing how his life is as I haven't spoken to him for many years."

Remember when he was Gonzo Gates on "Trapper John MD"? I sure do! Gregory Harrison was the original McDreamy and like Patrick Dempsey's character on "Grey's Anatomy," I think he too lived in a mobile home only his was parked on hospital grounds.

But the photo above is nolt from "Trapper John." It's from a sexy TV movie Gregory did called "For Ladies Only..." which had him playing a male stripper. What a silly title. The m0vie has far more gay male fans than female fans! Anyway, what a lovely memory.

Here's a clip! Enjoy!

Third-ranked Novak Djokovic sure is flexible! Here he is getting his body all loose and limber for a practice session Friday at Roland Garros, site of the French Open tennis tournament. He could meet three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal in the semifinals where I think Novak could have a big win.

I love the French Open, have watched it every year since the days of Chris Evert and Bjorn Borg and had a very memorable time attending the tournament back in 1992 where I saw the likes of Monica Seles, John McEnroe, Jennifer Capriati, Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi on the courts and on the grounds. Hope to go back someday soon.

He's in cahoots with the fed it seems. Huh? Maybe if he gives up Ameera then he gets a lighter sentence? Or is the fed guy dirty? Dunno, don;t really care. I just wanna know when Luke and Noah get to make out again.

David Cook and David Archuleta have been on some kind of media blitz since "American Idol" ended Wednesday. So by the time they got around to doing some interviews with print journalists like me early Friday morning, I expected them to be running on fumes.

Runner-up Archleta, 17, admitted that he was "out out of it" but Cook, the surprise champion, sounded fresh and focused. After his win, he stayed awake through the night, started doing live TV shows before dawn and "I got an hour nap in midway through the day."

I wondered how the heck these guys managed to perfect the three songs they did during the Tuesday night finale as well as all of the duets and group numbers they had to learn for the results show Wednesday.

Cook, as the winner, also had to perform as additional song: "They made it very very easy for us. With everything going on, it's just a matter of focusing on each song at a time...It's just taking a step back and going one moment at a time."

It's a good thing the lyrics are on a teleprompter!

As for Archuleta, the workload was even more intense since, as a high school junior, he still had to spend part of the day with school work: "As the weeks went on, we had more songs to learn," "This final week was the busiest of all. It was hard to find time to even rehearse and stuff, along wuith school and everything else going on."

Here are some other tidbits:
Archuleta on his controversial father who was banned from rehearsals toward the end of the season: "I hadn't heard really much of it until later on. I tried to stay away from the press...I didn't like to hear anything on the news good or bad. I wanted to stay myself...I wanted to keep who I was, the normal teenage David...There were really weird things, like he refused to give me water. That's the weirdest thing. I'm 17 and if I want water, I'm pretty sure I'd just go and get it anyway...I'm old enough to have enough control over myself...He's a great guy. There isn't really anything he's done that's bad like the things that have been spoken about him. My family has just been so supportive and kept me grounded...They get what I love about music and how it's changed my life."

Cook on beating Archuleta by 12 million votes:"I think the number is actually very misleading...I thought Archie was probably a lttle bit ahead of me...There's a lot of conspiracy theories out there. I attribute the finale vote just to my fans being awesome...(Archuleta) handled himself with a lot of grace. He's just an amazing, amazing human being."

Archuleta on Cook's victory: "I think he just deserved it so much. He deserved to be the American Idol. He's such a great guy too. My main priority wasn't to win the competition, it was just to do my best...We both gave it all, we just poured it all on that stage on Tuesday night and we both feel really good about it."

Cook on his first post-"Idol" record: "I think it's gonna be a mixture of my writing and hopefully writing with some other people. I just want to come out of the gate with some good music. It will probably be a rock record...I just want to make a record that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up."

Archuleta on his future: "Even after this interview I still have to go to school. School is really important. It was my main priority before this...I wasn't sure if I was able to get anywhere with music...You never know how long it will last. I want to do music all my life, I just don't know if I'll be able to do music the rest of my life."

Many had compared Cook to previous fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry, the biggest-selling non-winner in "Idol" history. Some suggested that not winning the title would havre been better for David's rock and roll cred.

"I think to go into this with the idea that you don't want to win is a huge slap in the face to the 103,000 people who auditioned this season that really wanted to win. ... As far as having more success by not being a winner, I think that's something that'll get played out hopefully in the next couple of years. I think Daughtry's success is amazing. And so for me, right now, I'm not trying to be Daughtry. I'm just trying to put out a solid record."

Sorry for the lack of posts this morning...I had to spend some time watching Antonio Sabato Jr. practice his routines for the upcoming NBC reality show "Celebrity Circus" at a studio in Burbank. He was doing a routine invovling silk and it is just amazing and beautiful. How does this guy just get better looking every year?

I'll post my interview with Antonio next week. More posts to come this afternoon though!

Watched last night's season finale of "Grey's Anatomy" and frankly, the fact that McDreamy and Meredith have evidently come together - finally - comes in the nick of time. I almost don't care anymore but I find anything involving Patrick Dempsey difficult not to care about!

So everyone was kissing by episodes's end except for poor McSteamy (Eric Dane). Instead, he watched as Callie (Sara Ramirez) and Erica (Brooke Smith) made out! There's some good coverage of that kiss over at AfterEllen.com today. I don't yet have video.

Rosie O'Donnell dropped this bombshell on her blog the other day:

i am 46
last night i saw a friend my age
on television
with a brand new face

i am never sure how to react
i email others asking
did u see her - she's different
right ?

Anyone have any guesses? An actress in her mid-40s who's friends with Rosie, is on TV, and whose face looks new. I'd guess Mary Tyler Moore but she's 70-plus. That sure was a new face she had on Oprah though.

Lindsay Lohan's appearance was just a cameo - about less than a minute. Good thing. I can go an entire year without seeing her over-exposed face again. And Naomi Campbell guesting and doing a cell phone joke? Why hire this rage-a-holic and make fun of her abusive ways. I hope she uses her "Ugly Betty" paycheck to get some counseling.

The very funny Alec Mapa had more screen time than the two of those crazies put together and he was great! I hope we will see more of his Suzuki St. Pierre character next seasob. It's a real good fit for the show!

Other observations: Kudos to Vanessa Williams for a terrific performance week after week of evil Wilhelmina Slater. She has developed the most delicious character. The writing is terrific but Vanessa serves up every morsel perfectly. Emmy voters, mark your ballots!

So Hilda (Ana Ortiz) finds out that the hot coach (Eddie Cibrian) she's dating is married. We can't label him a cad just yet because he seemed so genuinely tormented about it all. So we will reserve judgment for now. Wlould probably be even harder on him if he wasn't so damned good looking. Bastard! Anyway, Hilda initially tries to break it off but by the end of the finale, she was making out with him. Who can blame her?

Then there's poor Betty. Two cutie pie guys want her love and it all comes to a head at a softball game. Henry (the adorable Christopher Gorham) shows up and wants to get married and move to Tuscon. Gio, the impossibly cute and very sweet sandwich guy (Freddy Rodriguez) wants Betty to go with him to Italy so they can have their first date there.

I love, love love Henry and Betty together. But I hope when season three begins in the fall, Betty is doing the mambo italiano.

Jim McGreevey is such a loser.

I've thought so since the day he resigned as New Jersey governor and declared himself "a gay American." He woulda stayed a closeted American had his hand not been forced and his book tour that followed was nauseating.

And now we have the bitter divorce trial of Jimbo and his dumb estranged wife Dina Matos McGreevey in which they are airing their considerable dirty laundry. The ex-guv said on the witness stand this week that he relies on his wealthy boyfriend, Mark O'Donnell, to help him pay alimony to his first ex-wife as well as his soon-to-be second ex-wife.

He's sure got a lot of ex-wives for a gay American.

McGreevey said in court: "Without Mark's... without these loans, I could not afford legal fees. They are crushing. I want to pay my child support. I want to fulfill my obligations. It's incredibly frustrating."

Poor Jimbo claims his only sources of income are an adjunct professorship and some consulting; he's also a seminary student. He has borrowed $250,000 in rent, taxes and legal bills from his boyfriend and he said it will take him "decades" to pay back his debts.

The crazy ex-couple has already agreed upon custody of their daughter Jacqueline. After the alimony issue is decided, the divorce trial will focus on McGreevey's homosexuality.

I've been reading the reports in recent days on all kinds of sites that Jodie Foster's 14-year relationship with Cydney Bernard is on the rocks. Is it true? I have no idea. The first report came from the National Enquirer which is why I ignored it. And now it has gradually spread to such a point that the Enquirer isn't even being attributed anymore...to anyone!

One thing is for sure: Jodie is not going to set the record straight for us. She's not going to release a statement or do an interview with "The Insider." The only thing she has ever said about the relationship was something I heard wirth my own ears back in December when she received the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at the 16th annual Women in Entertainment Breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Towards the end of a wonderful speech, Jodie thanked "my beautiful Cydney who sticks with me through all the rotten and the bliss."

I was surprised to hear her thank Cydney publicly and figured it would be all over the news by the time I got to the office. It wasn't. I was the only journalist there who wrote about it and from there, it became worldwide news. That story fell in my lap. If there's a different story going on now, I cannot say.

Earlier posts:
- Jodie Foster thanks "my beautiful Cydney" at women's power breakfast...

-- Thoughts on my Jodie Foster story

He may have had a cold but I didn't notice...look and sounded GREAT!!!

Kudos to Ellen DeGeneres for having a conversation with John McCain about gay marriage on her show in a segment that airs today (check local listings).

McCain said in an interview taped Wednesday that same-sex couples should be allowed to enter into legal agreements for insurance and other purposes, but he opposes gay marriage and believes in "the unique status of marriage between and man and a woman."

No big surprise.

"And I know that we have a respectful disagreement on that issue," he told Ellen, who announced last week that she plans to marry Portia de Rossi now that gay marriage is legal in California.

Ellen needled the presumptive Republican presidential nominee on the issue, arguing that she and him aren't different: " I think that it is looked at and some people are saying the same that blacks and women did not have the right to vote. Women just got the right to vote in 1920. Blacks didn't have the right to vote till 1870. It just feels like there's this old way of thinking (that) we are not all the same.. We are all the same people, all of us. You're no different than I am. Our love is the same. When someone says, 'You can have a contract, and you'll still have insurance, and you'll get all that,' it sounds to me like saying, 'Well, you can sit there, you just can't sit there. It feels like we are not, you know, we aren't owed the same things and the same wording."

McCain replied that he's heard her "articulate that position in a very eloquent fashion. We just have a disagreement. And I, along with many, many others, wish you every happiness."

"So, you'll walk me down the aisle? Is that what you're saying?" Ellen joked, lightening the tone again.

Replied McCain: "Touche,"

Here is a clip:

David Cook (above) wins this contest too but both commercials are lotsa fun. What's so cute is that while Cook wears briefs as Tom Cruise did in the scene from "Risky Business," they have the 17-year-old David Archuleta (who looks 14!) in boxers!

Randy Jackson had it so right: "You're both winners baby!" David Cook triumphed over David Archuleta. Cook was a class act. He wept: "I'm absoilutely at a loss for words right now...this is amazing...thank you." I'm shocked that Simon apologized to the champ because he felt he might have been almost disrespectful to him last night (he musta seen the way the wind was blowing).

The younger David took it like a champ, smiling broadly, looking happy to have it all over with knowing he too is embarking on a huge career. He knew he absolutely gave it all that he had Tuesday night when he really did outsing his rival.

Here are some of my thoughts on the telecast: I really liked Graham Nash and Brooke White singing "Teach Your Children"and the medleys the top six girls and top six guys did with Donna Summer and Bryan Adams, respectively....Jason Castro reminded us why he made it to top five in the first place with "Halelujia"...The Guitar Hero commercial with David Cook emulating Tom Cruise dancing in his underwear in "Risky Business" is brilliant! David Archuleta's version shown later in the telecast paled in comparison...Reigning champ Jordin Sparks returns the the scene of her great triumph and underwhelms me. Maybe it was just the song...Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. as Pips singing with Gladys Knight. Pretty funny. Downey looks HOT. I'd rather see her with the real Pips though (the money from downloads from iTunes will go the charity)...Carrie Underwood did a song wearing some odd outfit. She does nothing for me. Zippo. Zilch....George Michael made a dramatic entrance, looked and sounded great!!!

Here is the moment:

And the winner is

I'm stuck in the newsroom waiting for "American Idol" results for tomorrow's print column. Just found this clip of my favorite performance from last night's finale...

And here is David Archuelta's first song "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (also very good)

I don't know about you, but I'm still on cloud nine over last week's CA Supreme Court decision the legalizes gay marriage in our state. But we all know about the forces who are not happy about it. They will be fighting until the bitter end for a ballot initiative that would null and void the historic ruling.

That is why I was so happy to learn today that the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest GLBT civil rights organization, has pledged an initial contribution of $500,000 to Equality for All to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment that could possibly be on the November general election ballot in California. This is an addition to the $100,000 contribution the Human Rights Campaign made to Equality for All earlier this year.

HRC President Joe Solmonese said: "The California Supreme Court's decision is a victory for justice and fairness. But the fight for equality has just begun. With the $500,000 commitment to Equality for All today, HRC aims to ensure that California remains a state where every person has the opportunity to realize their hopes and dreams by being able to marry the person they love....The California Supreme Court did its job by siding with basic fairness. In November, we hope the voters of California do the same."

Gee, once they got those lips puckered again after that ridiculous seven month dry patch, they've stayed puckered! The kiss was more than a peck but not enough to make up for the inane Ameera-Col. Mayer plot that continues to drag down the storyline of our young lovers.

Luke thinks green card bride is in cahoots with killer daddy while naive Noah thinks she's been kidnapped by his dad: "Dammit Luke! We have no reason to be suspicious of her...I can't let Ameera become another one of his victims. Considering that he killed my mother and nearly killed you, why don't you feel the same way?"

Because the beeyotch tried to steal you away Noah! But good guy Noah is ready to fly off the NYC to find Ameera and his daddy. Good luck with that pal.

Here are today's scenes:

They gotta fill in two hours with something besides crowning David Archuleta champion tonight on "American Idol." You know I love David Cook but he was done-in my his song selection last night.

So Marc Malkin of E!Online reports exclusively that George Michael will be the surprise musical guest tonight! I'm really glad to see George doing things like "Idol" and ABC's "Eli Stone" because he had been squandering his talents and goodwill with the public with those arrests etc.

Marc writes: Earlier this week, producer Nigel Lythgoe refused to reveal who the artist would be, only saying that the "biggest star in the world" was coming to Idol. The appearance will time in nicely for the former Wham! frontman, who starts a 20-city tour on June 17 in San Diego in support of his recently released two-disc CD, Twenty-Five.

Barbara Walters, one of the best TV interviewers in business, must be rubbing off on her "View" co-hort Whoopi Goldberg who really raked Denise Richards over the coals this morning after the friendly chit-chat subsided about her new reality show which features appearances of her two daughters with ex-hubby Charlie Sheen. Charlie is against the little girls being on television right now.

Whoopi: I cannot get past the fact that you want to protect your children as you say you do, you're their mom and you want to keep everything private, why would you take a reality show? Is it the money?
Denise: I've had everything out there, even if I stayed quiet, things are out there...

Whoopi: ...These are little kids. So if you want to keep them private, keep your life private, do you not think this is a little extreme, to open it up?
Denise: ...They are in it very minimal and. the thing is, I've been singled out. There hasn't been one reality show with a family where there's no kids ....every reality show has children and mine are (in it) very minimal."

Whoopi: But you're going through this huge thing (battle with Sheen) and I wonder if the timing might not have been as great?
Denise: For me, the timing's good. I've been approached the last few years. I've had a horrible, horrible three years. I don't know if anyone's lost a mother to cancer. I've watched my mom die. So my mom was really wanting me to do the show. She was wanting the public to see me as I really am...

Once Denise pulled out the mom card, Whoopi backed off. Unlike Barbara Walters, she doesn't want to make her interview subjects cry!

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday that he hopes gay marriage will become an economic boon in California wanting gay couples to flock to the state for wedded bliss.

Responding to a question from a man who said he made an appointment in June to get married to his partner of 22 years, Arnold got laughs and applause at an appearance in San Francisco when he said; "You know, I'm wishing everyone good luck with their marriages and I hope that California's economy is booming because everyone is going to come here and get married."

The Sacramento Bee reports that the governor reiterated that he opposes an initiative backed by conservatives to ban gay marriage in the state constitution. He said he personally defines marriage as between a man and a woman but that he does not "want to force that opinion on anyone."

Isn't that a silly headline? But made ya look! The lovely lady, Florence Henderson, gives a smooch to the outspoken judge. Maybe she'll get that parking ticket dismissed!

Most of the attention has been focused on Lindsay Lohan's appearance on the season finale of "Ugly Betty" on Thursday. I could care less about Lohan...she's beyond annoying! But Alec Mapa I care about. He will be making another one of hios appearances as TV gossip personality Suzuki St. Pierre. Alec also has a recurring role as Eva Longoria's pal on "Desperate Housewives" so let's hope both shows make use of his talents in the fall.

Alec is a hoot!

That was fun! David Archuleta is scary good, was scary focused and I'll be shocked if he is not crowned winner tomorrow night. But David Cook is my guy, the one I want to see in concert, whose CD I want. Here is my round-by-round take on how things went down during tonight's finale:

Clive Davis' Pick:Round 1:
Cook: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
This is one of my favorite songs not only because I'll never forget seeing U2 sing it in concert at the LA Coliseum in 1988, but because Cher has opened a million of her concerts with it. Cook sang it as well as anyone with energy and confidence. I loved the way he kicked things off. It was really a case of a song and a singer being beautifully matched.

Archuleta: "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
He pulled out the stops on this and gave the perfect kind of finale performance. The judges were wild for it. I personally prefer Cook in this round but can understand why Simon Cowell said the first round went to this David.

(BTW, Simon's opinion mattered even more than usual tonight because he was the only judge who seemed to be able to assess the performances. Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul were mostly just full of hyerbole.)

Round 2: (Songwriting competition)
Cook: "Dream Big"
A real, rock-solid performance but he is hurt a bit in this round because the song itself is not stellar, not very memorable.

Archuleta: "In This Moment"
He sold the hell out of it, hitting all his notes and just soaring. I was really impressed with his performance in this round on a song that is not well known. I agree with Simon that David A. chose the better song, one that he was able to make memorable.

Round 3: (Personal choice)
Cook: "The World I Know"
This is where he loses the competition. It was a nice, controlled performance but this song did not end things with a bang. Simon said he should have sung "Billie Jean" or "Hello." In response, Cook said he looked at it "as a progression and why do something I've already done." Why? Because it could have helped you win! But winning isn't going to be everything for Cook because what he did was make us want to buy any record he makes.

Archuleta: Imagine"
He picked perfectly, a sure-thing that reminds people of his best performance and brings things full circle. All he had to do was not screw it up and he did not. Randy said he is "exactly what this show is all about." Simon; Tonight, I think we witnessed...you came out here tonight to win and what we have witnessed is a knockout."

I gotta agree...

I got a call this afternoon from season one runner-up Justin Guarini, host of TV Guide Channel's "Idol Tonight" and resident celebrity blogger for Fancast.com. We gabbed about David vs. David.

"I think it's going to be the smallest margin of victory in 'Idol' history," Justin said. "It's the first time we've seen two guys go head-to-head since Clay (Aiken) and Ruben (Studdard) and that was very close. Like (in season 2, their differences make the competition that much more exciting."

Justin, who will be touring this summer begins hosting a show on blogtalkradio.com June 3, was forbidden from predicting a winner but he did share his impressions of the finalists.

On David Cook: "What I like about Cook is his experience and above everything else, his musicianship. He's a fantastic musician and has taken all the curveballs thrown at him with the different genres and made himself very comfortable, arranging the songs to suit him perfectly."

Of David Archuleta, Justin said: "The fact is he has the voice of a 30 year old and the musicianship of a 30 year old vocalist in a 17 year old's frame. He's absolutely masterful with his interpretation of songs."

He thinks both Davids are destined for major musical stardom because "they both have the ability to accompany themselves and to write music. With the way 'Idol' is set up now, they are both virtually guaranteed success."

Noah's dad escapes from custody and shows up at the house. He disappears with Ameera who leaves a note to Noah: "It's time to get our marriage annulled." Noah reacts to his "wife" leaving him by going into the bedroom with his boyfriend, Luke, and getting busy! Ya know, like normal people in love. Just before he kisses Luke (yes, they actually kiss AGAIN), he says lustily: "I love you...I am so in love with you." Noah's shirt is even unbuttoned. Wow, off the charts wild ATWT writers.

Then, the knock on the door....POLICE!!! Here's the clip, watch for yourself:

Oprah Winfrey seems to be phoning it in on a lot of days on her talk show in my opinion, lacking the spark she has had in many past years. But there are some days when she really is on fire. Last week it was a show with Cher and Tina Turner and this week, it was an amazing "Mary Tyler Moore Show" cast reunion that took place on replicas of the classic sitcom's sets. The show, which ended its stellar seven-year run in 1977, meant so much to Oprah as a young woman that the first time she met Mary, she burst into tears of joy. This time, Mary presented Oprah with an "O" to hang on the wall just like Mary's "M," signed by the entire cast.
I love this show, have seen every episode many times, own the DVDs etc. The writing was first-rate and the cast was one of the best ever assembled. Mary herself is a seven-time Emmy winner (four of the Emmys were for her portrayal of Mary Richards);Valerie Harper won four Emmys for playing Rhoda, including one for her spinoff series; Ed Asner is a seven-time Emmy winner including five for playing Lou Grant (two were for his spinoff series); Betty White won two Emmys for her role as sex-crazed Sue Ann Nivens (five wins overall)' while Cloris Leachman has won more Emmys (nine) than any individual performer in history - two of those wins were for her role as Phyllis Lindstrom.
All of these Emmy winners were present on the Oprah show as well as Gavin MacLeod and Georgia Engel. Ted Knight, who played news anchor Ted Baxter, died in 1986.

Although Phyllis was Rhoda's archenemy on the show, viewers might be surprised to know is that Cloris and Valerie were actually good friends offset. "I have a one-woman show, and I talk about her all the time and how she called me her girlfriend, and she was always wonderful to me and it changed me," Cloris said.

Cloris, always outrageous, told a story of a friendly bet with Ed Asner. If he would lose 30 pounds, she would sleep with him. "That's why it never happened. ... He lost 29...and he went right back up!" she jokes. "We looked in each other's eyes, and we were terrified. I don't know who was more frightened."

Here are a few classic clips from the show's later seasons starting with highlights of Leachman as nosy landlady Phyllis followed by the classic: "Chuckles Bites the Dust"

Could this divorce case get any more pathetic? Dina Matos McGreevey's lawyer argued Monday that Jim McGreevey could have become a talk show host, pursued a movie deal or otherwise cashed in on his fame after a sex scandal forced him from the office of Governor of New Jersey.

All this so he doesn't have to pay Dina alimony.

McGreevey's lawyer said the ex-gov-turned Episcopal seminary student is too poor to pay and that he does not want to pursue high-profile jobs because he wants to quietly get on with his life.

This whole thing is so bizarre you couldn't make it up: testifying as an expert for Jimbo, Sharyn Maggio told the judge that neither McGreevey nor his wife could expect to enhance their earnings based on the fame they achieved from his resignation or their divorce, which has been televised on Court TV.

''Charles Manson was famous,'' Maggio testified. ''That doesn't equate to celebrity in the financial sense.''

But Dina's expert claims McGreevey could earn $1.4 million in his lifetime because of the "celebrity status" attached to his name.

Besides alimony, Dina wants the court to award her damages based on the contention that McGreevey committed marriage fraud. She claims she was duped into marriage by a gay man who needed the cover of a wife to advance his political career. McGreevey counters that she shoulda have known he was gay.

These people are nuts!!!

Last week, I posted a picture of Warren Beatty during his "Bonnie and Clyde" days. This week's hall of fame hottie is Robert Conrad, the star oif the 60s Western series "Wild, Wild West" and so many other movies and television shows.

It just seems kinda tough to compare our current pretty boy pin-ups like Chace Crawford and Zac Efron to someone like Conrad who really had it going on!

Yeah, I'm ready for it to end too! As much as I've enjoyed covering "Idol" this season, the finale pitting David Archuleta against David Cook comes just in time. I think it's anybody's game going in. Cook deserves to win but Archuleta - also very worthy - is wildly popular with young girls, the audience that votes the most.

So, an e-mail came over the weekend that the finalists would be available for brief telephone interviews Monday afternoon. The timing would be perfect and I had some questions: "David Cook, do you sometimes want to just stuff the other David - a high schooler - into your pocket?" "David Archuleta, how many times, on average, do you think you blink your eyes during each performance?"

But the interviews were canceled at the last minute. Something about having to practice for the finale. Whatever. But we were provided with these canned quotes which aren't so bad as canned quotes go:
Archuleta on performing tonight on the stage at the Nokia compared to singing on the American Idol stage:"I don't think it'll be too different because the audience is still going to be big on the other side of the camera, watching on TV, so while there's more people live, I don't know. I guess I'll have to see once I go and rehearse and stuff."

On getting advice from people: "Every single person always has something good to say, from Cook to the people helping us out, to family, to friends, to just people you meet and fanmail. People always have some good stuff to say."

Is being an American Idol finalist anything like he thought it was going to be? "No it's not because I didn't even think I would be a finalist so that's already the difference right there and then just how crazy and busy it is and I didn't realize how tiring it is. I thought I'd have time to prepare for the finale and this is the week where we've gotten the least amount of time to really prepare and it's like the most tiring on your voice but hopefully it will all pull together for (Tuesday)."

Cook on singing on the stage at the Nokia compared to singing on American Idol stage: "You know, it's interesting. I've always been really kind of confused by the idea, like the smaller the crowd for me, the more nervous I tend to get. Having the Nokia full, should be great. But you know, win or lose; I think we both win, so for me now it's just kind of enjoying the moment."

Did his experience on Idol match what he expected" "It's busier than I thought it was going to be. And so for me, the learning process has just been kind of like watching the stuff that takes place that people never get to see. Just, more than anything, just kind of the relationships that form. I remember at the beginning of the season, I always wondered why we all cried when people went home, and it's like, you know, some of these people we've known almost a year now, so it's definitely been an experience though for sure."

Is happy just to be in the Idol finals? "You know, to be where I was at before, now to be standing on the finale stage and have, a 50 percent chance of my name being called, is pretty heavy, you know. So for me, it's just, either way, I'm content."

Good luck guys!

The one, the only, turns 62 today...May she go on forever!

(Here are some clips from last week's appearance on Oprah):

I don't usually give a rat's (expletive) about the comings and goings of the Simpson sisters etc. But I think it's kinda cool what Ashlee Simpson's new husband, Pete Wentz, said to The Advocate today, two days after his wedding:

"I am happy to get married in the same state where the state supreme court recognizes the union of gay/lesbian couples," Pete told The Advocate magazine on Monday. "It seems like we could have a hell of a bash as a joint anniversary over in West Hollywood next year!"

I'm so excited to see this story on my friend Karen Ocamb in LA Weekly (one of the LA People of 2008) that I am going to post the entire thing. What Karen does becomes all the more important as the battle to preserve gay marriage in California heats up. I'd say that Karen would be working harder than ever but I don't think that's possible!

Here's the story, "Hard news as a civil right," by Patrick Range McDonald

On a recent Monday morning, Karen Ocamb sits back on a couch and gears up for another heavy week of hard-news journalism. Her one-bedroom apartment in West Hollywood is the command center, where she calls up sources, writes copy on a MacBook Pro and always keeps the television turned on to MSNBC or CNN as her three dogs lie around and nap. For 20 years, Ocamb has been reporting about a world few Los Angeles journalists, if any, have covered so consistently and with such passion.

"These are civil rights issues," she says. "Whenever someone is denied the right to the pursuit of happiness, we should all be concerned. That's what I continue to write about."

It's so nice to be writing about celebrities who getting married who actually have known their partner for more than a week! George Takei, of "Star Trek," "Heroes" and "Howard Stern Show" fame, has announced via his web site that he is marrying is significant other of more than 20 years, Brad Altman.

Congratulations to them both!!!

Here's some of what George wrote: Our California dream is reality. Brad Altman and I can now marry. We are overjoyed! At long last, the barrier to full marriage rights for same-sex couples has been torn down. We are equal with all citizens of our state!

For now, Brad and I are enjoying the delicious dilemma of deciding where, when, and how we will be married. Marriage equality took a long time, but, like fine wine, its bouquet is simply exquisite.

Rafael Nadal was in danger of losing his ranking as the number two player in the world for the first time in nearly three years. But he beat back the dramatic challenges of his rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer over the weekend to win the men's clay court tournament in Berlin. Third-ranked Novak went down to Rafael after more than three hours of play in what is being described as a classic while top-ranked Federer squandered some leads to lose in three sets in the final.

I think Nadal's days as second-best are numbered though. He'll be third by mid-summer unless he can continue to keep up these kinds of heroics.

A screening of "Brokeback Mountain" on Cuban state TV was part of a day of unprecedented openness in the communist-run island where prejudice against homosexuals remains deeply rooted in Cuban society.

So the screening and a day-long government-backed campaign against homophobia on Saturday is a big deal and seems to be thanks to an important ally: President Raul Castro's daughter, Mariela (pictured with two unidentified friends), who presided over the largest gathering of openly gay activists ever to be held in Cuba.

"The freedom of sexual choice and gender identity (are) exercises in equality and social justice," Mariela Castro said to the Associated Press.. She is the director of Cuba's Center for Sexual Education, "This is a very important moment for us, the men and women of Cuba, because for the first time we can gather in this way and speak profoundly and with scientific basis about these topics.".

Cuba's parliament is studying proposals to legalize same-sex unions and give gay couples the benefits that people in traditional marriages enjoy. It's a far cry from the the 1960s and 1970s, when homosexuals hid their sexuality for fear of being ridiculed, fired from work or even imprisoned.

Elizabeth Pena had been on a non-stop, multi-city publicity blitz for her new movie "How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer Vacation" when she called from Miami recently for a chat. If she was fatigued, you wouldn't have known it except that her naturally throaty voice is just a tad throatier than usual.

This gifted actress, best known for TV's "Resurrection Blvd" (on which she played the mother of a gay son) and such films as "Lone Star," "Jacob's Ladder" and "La Bamba," is on a mission to spread the word about the movie which finally opened in theaters last Friday - three years after it first screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

"I've had a total of maybe nine hours sleep in the past three days," she said. "But I believe in this movie and I believe in (director) Georgina Garcia Riedel. She's a great talent. It stayed with me, this movie. Georgina is a very daring woman."

Elizabeth was eager to be in the low-budget film because she saw a terrific role for herself as a lonely despressed single mom running a butcher shop raising a daughter (played by America Ferrera). Also key to the film is her 70-year-old mother, played by Lucy Gallardo.
"I'm lonely and frustrated on so many levels," the actress said if her character. "We all in this movie, in this long, hot Arizona summer, discover our sexuality."

What was it like working with a pre-"Ugly Betty" America?

"I had only seen her in 'Real Women Have Curves' but I had never met her," she said. "Working with her and Lucy was a complete joy. America is a very solid person, obviously well-guided by her real-life mom. She's intellectual and a very good actress."

Elizabeth is a woman who speaks her mind and that's what makes her such an interesting interview. I wondered about what it's like, at 48, to try and land good roles in film and on television: "There are no roles for women in America, lead roles, that are written for women over the age of 30. A co-starring role has maybe a 35-year-old playing 42. The reason I was drawn to ("Garcia Girls") is because it's a women-driven piece with wonderful roles that explores female sexuality beyond a certain age. In the movies, women don't have sex after 40. If they do, they get raped. But you can see a 72-year-old man going at it (with a much younger female) and it's accepted."

I had heard that Elizabeth was set to be cast in the 1993 film "The House of Spirits" which starred Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Wynona Ryder and others all playing hispanic people.

"I had read the the novel and I loved it," she remembered. "Now it comes time, they
are casting it. They offered me a wonderful role, a whore. I was ecstatic! That's a great
role. I was fine. But then I find out the only female hispanic in the movie is Catherine the
whore! I'm sorry, but aren't all the characters hispanic?"

She turned the role down and the movie was a major flop despite the A-list talent involved: "I like to make money as much as the next person but I also didn't want to be an artistic whore."

Not that she's overly picky. If she didn't take on roles in bigger commercial hits like "Rush Hour" and "The Incredibles" and do various TV guest spots and voiceover work, "I'd be in my house doing laundry all day."

Online extra: "Resurrection Blvd" lasted only three seasons on Showtime from 2000-2002 but fans of the show will never forget it. Elizabeth had a meaty role as Beatrice "Bibi" Corrales, sister-in-law to Tony Plana's ex-boxer character who had a large brood of adult children, two of whom were boxers. The family dealt with all kinds of drama including when Bibi's son turns out to be gay.

"I'm the one who posed that my son should come out and be gay," she said. "We were in a household of testosterone boxers and what would happen if my son was gay? In Elzabeth Pena's world, that means nothing but you have to see yourself through Bibi's world and that would be something she has no information about."

Bob and Lee's ceremony had none of the build-up of Scotty and Kevin's on "Brothers & Sisters." And I do mean none. The couple show up at Katherine's doorstep as she's been contronted by her abusive ex-husband and announce that they are having a commitment ceremony and need a last-minute caterer.

Like two gay men would ever let that happen!

These two characters continued to have a minor part of the happenings on Wisteria Lane this season even if their ceremony was the backdrop for a lot of the drama going on. We don't see the ceremony, just the silly fights before and all the guests milling about.

Katherine has to back out of catering because she's on the run from the ex-hubby. Lee (Kevin Rahm) is groomzilla and he is insisting on an ice sculpture as the centerpiece for a vodka mote. Bob (Tuc Watkins) just wants a cherub ice scuplture and says Lee's starting to act like Faye Dunaway in the boardroom scene in "Mommie Dearest."
"We're sticking with the cherub and later when he bitches about it, I'll just buy him some jewelry," he tells Bree.

Lee calls the ceremony off and Bob calls him a drama queen. Tom (Doug Savant) sets them straight so to speak: "if you're willing to break up over an ice sculpture, then you absolutely should not get married..." This leads to one of Tom's finest moments all season: a speech about love and commitment during good times and bad and whether the person you're with is worth it, if you really love "him or her."

We don;t see any kind of ceremony take place but we do get to see Katherine's estranged hubby (Nathan Fillon) drive his car through all the tables etc. as he tries to get to her house to save her from her ex-hubby. I think there could have been another way - like maybe drive around everyone?

All crazy happenings with Justine Bateman's character shot dead and then Katherine (Dana Delaney) shoots ex-hubby (Gary Cole) dead in front of the other women. He had been holding her hostage and we learn that their daughter Dylan isn't their biological child (this explains why she can't remember a damned thing before she was 12!). She is a child Katherine adopted from Romania after the real Dylan died in a freak accident. She never reported the death and the adopted kid became her substitute. In the end, she shoots the ex dead and that wraps up the season's big mystery. I never cared much about it anyway...

The end of the episode gave us a preview of the main characters' lives five years into the future. The real shocker is that Susan (Teri Hatcher) will be with Brian Kinney from "Queer as Folk." OK, not Brian but Gale Harold who played Brian. What does this mean for Susan and Mike (James Denton)? They just had a baby for God's sake! Gabby (Eva Longoria) will have two daughters and will have let herself go physically...Lynette's kids - now teenagers - become juvenile delinquents...Bree (Marcia Cross) has become such a success as a caterer that she has a cookbook coming out, gay son Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom) is her assistant (and she's back with Orsen)...Katherine is now firmly ensconsed with the other women but no sign of Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) but my guess she'll be back in some way even if it is on a recurring basis.

What I really want to know is if Andrew will move back onto the street and hook up with Bob as has been rumored, That, would be hot. From what I've seen of Bob and Lee, they don't seem happy now, much less ever after..

Here is a clip of the fast-forward scenes:
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I have not been able to put Barbara Walters' book, "Audition," down all weekend. It is an awesome read so far. To go along with Barbara during the 60s and 70s when she was breaking down barriers and traveling the globe snagging exclusive interviews left and right, you realize what an epic life she has had - really historic. People who mainly just know her from "The View" and "20-20" and the celebrity specials are in for some really fascinating stuff.

But even I gotta admit that after picking up the book at The Grove on Saturday, I sat at the Barnes & Noble and first looked at all the pictures then went straight to the chapter in the book on "The View" before even leaving the store! What was Star Jones pitching a fit over? Barbara is very fair to her in this book. Star has problems. It is Rosie O'Donnell who is written about extensively in the chapter and not always in a flattering light. Here are some excerpts:

Rosie's moods: "In the early weeks of the program, we were all rather anxious about what kind of mood Rosie would be in when she entered the dressing room. One day she would be upbeat and smiling , the next day dark and subdued. Gradually, we learned to go with the flow..."

Teamwork: "Rosie had originally said she wanted to ride the bus, not drive it. But this backseat role simply was not her nature. Rosie is a big talent, funny, smart, opinionated, passionate - and controlling. ... The premise of 'The View' is that of a team working together, but for Rosie it was more like Diana Ross and the Supremes, as little by little she took over. Still, she was such a talent that we lived with it."

On Rosie's book 'Celebrity Detox' in which she slammed Barbara: "...Harsh and insulting accusations, some logical, some off the wall, filled page after page. Miszed up in the criticisms were protestations of love...I am not a Pollyanna, but I truly believe that Rosie did not intend to hurt me. She herself must have come to regret what she'd written, because she canceled most of her television interviews promoting the book. She also sent me a series of long, tender e-mails. I was touched by them and finally did respond. I can't be mad at Rosie for long."

I spent more time at home this week than I have in ages recovering from an allergy thing and it has enabled me to watch an incredible amount of television. A lot of that viewing has been dedicated to the gay marriage and China earthquake coverage but, ya know, some days you just gotta watch some "Oprah" or "Entertainment Tonight."

On Monday's "Oprah," there is going to be a cast reunion of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and it looks like everyone is there (except for the late Ted Knight, of course). So one of the shows (I think ET) drops this bombshell in a preview: during the entire first season of the series, Mary was wearing a WIG!!!

I guess it makes sense since her hair was never that long again in subsequent years but it just seems so wrong! What's next? Murray wasn't really bald? Mr. Grant wasn't really fat? Sue Ann wasn't really a slut?

Harrison Ford at the Cannes Film Festival this week...Wow!!!

If you are a "Sex and the City" fan then ya gotta go out and buy the new issue of "Entertainment Weekly." It's got 63 pages of "Sex" including a recap and grade for every single episode of the show's six-year run.

I'll be puling stuff from it all week is my guess and will start by sharing some of Mario Cantone's short interview. He, of course, started as Charlotte's (Kristin Davis) wedding planner on the show and evolved into her personal stylist and more.

On hitting the big screen: "I did 10 days on it and have lots of chunks of funniness throughout it. It was a blast. It happened very quickly. I was just glad to be a part of it."

On strange fan encounters: "The men are always like, 'My girlfriend loves you.' And I'm like, 'And you? And what about you?'"

On our "Sex"-crazed culture: You go to Italy and people are talking to you in Italian and pantomining a TV box and pointing at you. It's so weird."

Wow! I remember seeing "Total Eclipse" in the theaters way back when but seeing this kissing scene of Leonardo DiCaprio kissing another guy makes me want to watch it all over again! This is a really hot kiss!

Wow. Alan Rickman had a gay kiss on screen? Who knew? And it's pretty good. The film is called "Dark Harbor" and the other actor in the scene is Norman Reedus,

This scene from 1982's "Making Love" was revolutionary at the time. Seems very tame now! But still, Michael Ontkean is stunningly beautiful as the married man questioning his sexuality. At least he's got Harry Hamlin to help him figure things out!

And just for fun:

Sean William Scott and Ashton Kutcher in "Dude, Where's My Car?" It was a goof but isn't this better than a lot of gay kisses we've seen in the movies? They just go for it.

I'm glad there is some news connected to this photo because I really wanted to post it (and probably would have anyway!) Mr. biceos himself Rafael Nadal (seen here shaking the hand of his close friend Carlos Moya at the German Open on Friday, will face the third-ranked player Novak Djokovic in the semifinals tomorrow.

There's more on the line though than just trying to reach the final where world number one Roger Federer will likely be on Sunday: whoever wins the Nadal-Djokovic match will be the second-ranked player behind Federer. Nadal has spent an entire three years in that spot with Federer far-and-away the top dude. But both tennis titans have slipped a bit in 2008 with Novak soaring.

Whether he wins tomorrow or not, I think Djokovic (pictured below) will be top-ranked by later this year. He's that good.

It was so much fun to see Dr. Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) lean over and plant a long and sexy kiss on Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) in the elevator as Dr. McSteamy (Eric Dane) looked on in shock (and delight!).

I think this is only the beginning for Callie and Erica!

Just discombobulated this week. In a good way because of the gay marriage ruling and in a bad way because of my bad allergic reaction to some laundry detergent and the energy-sapping medication I've had to take since.

This is my way of explaining why I had neglected to report on various news items this week starting with the Tony Award nomination for the great Patti LuPone! The Broadway legend has, stunningly, only won once (for "Evita") but if ever there was a role that will win her that second Tony it is Mama Rose in "Gypsy."

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After watching Sunday's episode of "Brothers & Sisters" with Kevin and Scotty, I was not in the mood to deal with the silliness of "As the World Turns" and the stupid storylines the writers have Luke and Noah involved in. So, didn't even bother to watch their scenes this week but I did want to post them for you. They have to do with Ameera and Col. Meyer and naive Noah and long-suffering Luke and on and on...and on... I beleive these clips are from an episode that aired Wednesday:

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A 26-minute documentary about the efforts to save Laguna Beach's now shuttered Boom Boom Room has been accepted for the 2008 LA Outfest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. John Keitel's "Saving the Boom" will be among those screened at the fest held July 9-21, 2008 at the Directors' Guild of America in West Hollywood and selected theaters throughout Los Angeles.

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We all know relationships can be tough - gay or straight - but what is with the drama between Reichen Lehmkuhl and Ryan Barry. We had Ryan back in March changing his Facebook status to no longer in a relationship then a few weeks back, Reichen publicly vented on his MySpace page about someone who could only have been Ryan. And yet, here they are kissing on a red carpet at some event (that's actor Peter Paige in the other picture). Oh brother. Those crazy kids. I'd advise against them taking out a CA marriage license anytime soon!

Jensen Atwood is one of the sexiest actors around and he has broken through as an actor by playing gay or bisexual roles in two hot shows: Logo's "Noah's Arc," currently being made into a feature film; and Here!TV's "Dante's Cove" which he really spiced up last season.

Via his MySpace page, Jensen has just released the cover of his 2009 Calendar. It's available June 3 and can be pre-ordered at: www. menoferos. He hasn't released any of the inside shots yet that I know of but I'm figuring we'll be getting the kind of beefcake shots (at left is a publicity still from "Dante's) that we've come to expect from this stunningly beautiful man.

If ya ask me (and you were going to, right?) the annual Herndon Monument Climb at Annapolis is just a good excuse for a buncha cute guys to take their shirts off and slide off of one another. But the official reason for this yearly homoerotic scene - which took place yesterday - is to get to the top of a greased-up 21-foot granite obelisk.

The first-year midshipmen have to crawl all over each other to get ot the top of the statue in a tradition that marks the end of their "plebe" year. The event had been in danger of being cancelled or overhauled "for the sake of safety and professionalism." But it is widely thought that the sudden hesitation was due to the massive exposure the activity began getting on numerous blogs - especially gay-themed ones!

I love traditions like marriage and the Herndon Monument Climb...Here is a video of yesterday's fun:

My pal Jim Key sent me some photos and a recap from last night's rally in West Hollywood where more than 1,000 people gathered together to celebrate a historic day in our lives. The always inspiring Lorri Jean, executive director of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, was the perfect person to address the crowd. I've seen her speak on marriage euality many times in recent years and few can speak on the topic with more passion and knowledge and she will continue to be such an important leader in the months to come.

"Today, the Supreme Court said, "let them eat cake!" And, so, we shall." Lorri said to a sea of exuberant people filled San Vicente Blvd. in West Hollywood, just south of Santa Monica Blvd, to claim a slice of history for themselves.

In an emotional ceremony, the flag of the "golden state" was carried on stage to join the flags of the other six governments, both state and national, that already recognize the marriage of same-sex couples. Representatives from various LGBT and legal organizations, including Lambda Legal, NCLR and government officials and clergy all elicited cheers, and even some tears.

The evening came to a close with the Gay Men's Chorus singing "It's a Brand New Day."

Love this!

Ellen DeGeneres announced on her show Thursday (airing today!) that she and actress Portia de Rossi are getting married: "This is very exciting, I have to say. Yesterday, the California Supreme Court overturned the ban on gay marriage. So I would like to say right now, for the first time, I am announcing that I am getting married. [...] I'm so excited. It's something that we've, of course, wanted to do, and we've wanted to be legal, and we're very very excited."

Here's a video clip from today's show:

We're going to have to start a wedding announcements section of Out In Hollywood!

It has been one of the most extraordinary days in my lifetime, tough to think of anything else except the California Supreme Court ruling overturning the same-sex marriage ban.

My joy has built with each passing hour since learning the news this morning. It's deeply life-affirming.

I've been under the weather all week and homebound. But I've shared this day with friends - straight and gay - on the phone, via e-mail and on Facebook where it was just thrilling to read the reactions in real time. I've followed events on TV and on the Internet just absorbing - trying to absorb that this has really happened. I didn't expect it to.

Me? Get married? My heart has a few broken pieces and many frogs have been kissed. But ya know, I'd still like to get married someday, I hope it happens. The possibility makes me feel deeply happy - to the core really. But the most beautiful thing is all those loving and committed couples of the same gender who can marry and have the same rights as straight people in this country. Many have been together for decades, have children together. They are families.

Tomorrow is a day to write about the fight ahead, The battle to preserve this ruling will be bruising because gay marriage foes are primed. But gay people (and our allies) are strong and we've had to really work hard to make ourselves heard and to be accepted on our own terms. I think we are never more remarkable than when are fighting for what is right.

- Greg Hernandez
- 5/15/08

Lorri L.Jean of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, a tireless activist whose efforts on the issue go back years, said at a news conference: "Today, I can marry the love of my life." Jean added that her father had died seven months ago. "He so wanted to walk me down the aisle," she said. "But I know he's dancing in heaven!"

LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, pictured next to Lorri, told The Advocate after: "I feel proud to be a Californian. I feel that today we reassert the fundamental obligation of every freedom-loving Californian, that is, that life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness is essential and must be protected by the Constitution."

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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom: "Today, the California Supreme Court took a bold and important step forward to end discrimination in California. The Court's ruling to grant same-sex couples the right to marry affirms the very best of what California stands for - and proudly continues our state's long-standing commitment to equality and justice.

As San Franciscans, we have taken an irrevocable step toward resolving one of the most important civil rights issues of our generation, and the state's highest court has done the right thing with their ruling. San Francisco is the first government entity in American history to challenge the constitutionality of state marriage laws that discriminate against gay and lesbian couples. I believe that the path San Francisco pursued was not merely right - it was inevitable. It is America's path - the road to true freedom and equality.

The rights afforded by California's Constitution have triumphed, as they must, over laws restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples. In the late 1940s, California courts were among the nation's first to strike down laws banning inter-racial marriage. The state's Supreme Court has once again distinguished itself as a leading defender of our civil rights.

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John Amaechi, via The Advocate: "My very first reaction was that I was quite surprised. I watched the arguments on television and I watched the debates, and to me, as a partisan member of this debate, it seemed like it was such a wonderful logical argument that wasn't about special treatment but about pure equity. Still, I just didn't expect that the supreme court would come back with such a wonderful decision. So I am thrilled.

But at the same time, I want to see how this is going to translate. The sad fact is that when reasonable people move to bring equity to the masses, there always seems to be an objection and someone who wants to try and stop that from happening.

I would have to have a partner, of course, first, before I would consider getting married, but I hope to get married someday. The inability for LGBT people to get married and have their partnership recognized publicly does damage to their relationship. It hinders the recognition of LGBT people in society on the whole. And I think everyone deserves to have that spectacular day that sits beautifully in their memory for the rest of their lives.

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Melissa Etheridge (with wife Tammy Michaels) did this interview with The Advocate today:
"I feel they have made an honest woman of me. What a wonderful blessing for us and the gay community. We're moving forward. It makes me feel happy for the whole human race that we are finally getting out of our differences and coming together and we are putting this all behind us. It really is going to be the thing that we talk to our kids and our grandkids and say, "That was the olden days -- wasn't that ridiculous?"

Where were you when you heard? Were you following the case closely?
Yesterday my wife [Tammy Lynn Michaels] said, "Hey, they are going to vote." And it had been since March since they said they were going to do it, so you kind of forget that people are fighting every day for this. So yesterday my wife said, "Tomorrow they are going to come down with it." So I turned the news on this morning and they said any minute we are supposed to hear this, and so I have been listening. But then I dropped the kids off at school and I did a couple of errands and when I came home I said, "Honey, have you heard anything?" She went back and got on her computer and five minutes later she came back and said, "Whoo! We are married!" [laughs]

So I assume you are planning on getting legally married now?
Well, we had a wedding in 2003, and then we got the domestic partnership after that, so now my wife and I have to sit down and think, what will the formal thing be that we do? I don't know if we want to do the whole full-on thing again because we did do that, and that was our ceremony to ourselves. But I think this calls for a party.

Most important, what do you think this means for your kids?
You know that's the thing. I was just talking to someone about this, and I get all choked up about this because I think that the part that people who don't really understand this issue don't realize is that we are people with jobs and families. We have kids. And there have been years and years of explaining to them. I remember when it was on Schwarzenegger's desk and we were like "Oh, if he signs it, we may be able to get married." And then he vetoed it, and we were like, "Oh, mean governor!" So they have gone through this with us, and I can't wait to pick them up from school today and say, "Hey, your parents are just as married as anybody else's." That's a big thing. It's going to be a good day.

I'll be updating this throughout the afternoon...

Ellen DeGeneres (with girlfriend Portia de Rossi): "I'm thrilled that the California supreme court overturned the ban on gay marriage. I can't wait to get married. We all deserve the same rights, and I believe that someday we'll look back on this and not allowing gays to marry will seem as absurd as not allowing women to vote."
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Chad Allen (via Advocate.com): I have to say I was completely shocked at the level of emotion of my own reaction. It's not that I didn't care, it's just that I didn't know that I cared that much. But when I found out about it, I was so full of joy and happiness and I was really emotional. I think that just relays the sense that when you are denied something, at least for myself, I tend to try and disregard its importance. And when all of a sudden it happened, I realized there was a part of me that wanted it so desperately.

I think it's of massive importance for our self-esteem and the personal level of acceptance that we all struggle for as gay and lesbian people, for us to simply know that this part of our dreams is even capable of coming true.

I'm thinking about getting married. I am in love with my partner, deeply madly in love with him, and though I am not ready to propose yet, it is in there. I have always said that I wasn't going to do it until I could do it legally, and now that we can and it's real, there is even a little bit of pressure now, like "I can't use that excuse anymore." It's a kind of pressure that, say, my sister has always had going into a relationship, wondering if this is the one and what about popping the question, and when do you do it and how do you know. But I have lived in ignorance of that until today.

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Rosie O'Donnell posted this picture of herself and wife Kelly Carpenter O'Donnell on her blog with these three simple and beautiful words: love now legal...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: "I respect the Court's decision and as Governor, I will uphold its ruling. Also, as I have said in the past, I will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling."

(The state legislature had passed a marriage bill twice only to be vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger both times.)

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California State Senator Sheila Kuehl in an interview with The Advocate said of Schwarzenegger's statement: "I thought it was generous and wonderful of the governor that literally 10 minutes after the opinion was announced, he issued a statement backing the opinion of the court. He said that he would uphold the opinion, and he said he would come out in opposition to any attempts to strike it down. "

Kuehl, a former actress, told The Advocate about how she heard the news and her reaction: About one minute to 10 a.m., people started gathering around my desk, and when we were able to get the document, we started going through [Chief Justice Ronald] George's opinion. Then at about 11 a.m., the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee was on the phone with Justice George, and so I got a chance to get on the phone with him and I got to thank him. Then, Justice Joyce Kennedy was in the building, speaking in favor of an appointment nominee, so I went down to the chambers and spoke with her too.

How will she celebrate this victory? "I already have tickets to the theater, so I can't go to the big party in West Hollywood. But I felt like I got the best of my world today because my friends in the legislature were all here. We went through all the gay bills together over the past decade -- the students bill, the hate-crimes amendment, the fair employment act. We've got a great group here."

Syesha Mercado won't be competing for the title of "American Idol" next week but on Thursday, she had to be the happiest third-place finisher in the show's history. Week after week this dynamic performer dodged the elimination bullet until it was just her - the underdog - and favorites David Archuleta and David Cook left standing.

I had to know how she handled being among the bottom three vote-getters so many times with such poise and wondered if she had her bags packed each and every results show day.

"Every week is new. And I never packed my bag," she said. "They told us, 'You got to pack your bags.' I'm like, 'I'm not packing my bags because I don't want to go home yet. I'm not ready.' So I think if you want something, it's going to happen for you. If you want to be top three, you're going to get top three. If you want to win, you're going to win. Whoever is the most passionate, they're going to win. Whichever David's the most passionate, they're going to win. So every week, like I said, I set a goal, and I just wasn't ready to go home. I didn't pack my bags because I wasn't ready."

Syesha told me she dealt with the pressure by just talking to her family a lot and said they really helped her stay strong.

"I tried my best to pray before every performance and get that positive energy flowing and hold everybody's hand and be like, "Burst of energy and positivity." I just tried to clear my mind. You become stronger and stronger. And just being there, I just think I got a lot stronger every week.

Judges Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell thought Syesha had chosen poorly by singing the Peggy Lee song "Fever" on Tuesday night believing a powerful show-stopper would have left a stronger impression among voters.

She didn't come out and say she regretted singing the song but she did tell me she did the best she could on that number.

"You can't do everything. So I made up in my mind that I wanted to do a song that was performance-driven, so that's why I did that," she explained. "I had other choices in mind, but I couldn't do them, so - maybe if I had a chance to do them, I wouldn't have got that comment, but you go with the flow. If you can't do something, you do something else. You just work with that. So I did that song, and I have no regrets. It works out the way it was supposed to work out."

So what is next for this performing dynamo who will most certainly be one of the most popular draws on the "American Idol" tour this summer?

"Well, as I tell people, I want to do everything, and I'm really goal-oriented, so I know that whatever goal I set, it can be accomplished, whether it's within a year span or whatever, ten year(s)," she said. "So I want to make an album. I want to star in a film. I want to do Broadway. I want to open up an organic restaurant, and like a lupus foundation, homeless foundation. It just depends on what comes first, but I have goals that I want to do, and I write them down and going to continue to look at them. Basically, whatever opportunity comes first and what's the best career move for me, that's pretty much what's going to happen"

ONLINE BONUS: I mentioned in last night's post about Syesha's father and his struggles with drugs. She addressed it during this conference call with me and a group of other journalists: "Well, the struggles that we go through, I've always seen it as it can either make you or break you. And for me, it made the strong person that I am. It made the sincere, humble person that I am. Having my dad struggle through that, it really, really - it really made me sad a lot of my life. It actually made me understand people more and be more.... I told myself that I'm not going to let this determine what my future is going to be. I'm going to do something good. And I'm going to help my dad and encourage him and be there for him. And I'm going to make him proud, so that he wants to make me proud, and that's exactly what he's doing now. He sees me doing something good, and it's really motivating him to stay sober and stay clean. And it's just a beautiful story to tell."

Love. This. Girl.

This just in from Lambda Legal: It's an unforgettable day for same-sex couples and advocates of fairness and opportunity across the nation! The California Supreme Court has ruled that the state may no longer exclude same-sex couples from civil marriage. We are so proud.

Lead counsel NCLR, Lambda Legal, the ACLU and Equality California have been fighting for this victory for four years and today we have made history! But we must all do what we can to make sure that discrimination is not written into the state constitution in California through a ballot initiative.

...the great star, Lanie Kazan.

The singer-actress who first made a name for herself as Barbra Streisand's understudy in "Funny Girl" (She only subbed for two performances but the world took notice!) turns 68 years old young today. She's had an amazing life which I learned all about when we had lunch back in February, My favorite part of our chat was when the star of such films as "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "My Favorite Year" talked about why gays love her so: "They love me and I love them. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I am a little larger than life and I say what I feel and I sing what I feel. I have an big emotional range and I think a lot of gay men and gay women - at least more in the past and I think it's still holds true - have been caught in that inability or the fear of self expression, of really being who they are. And that's what try and do. I'm me and I'm full blown. I think a lot of gay people identify with that part of me, not afraid to express my feelings - my joy, my pain. All of it."

Related posts:
-- Exclusive: Lainie Kazan talks about singing in LA again, Greek Wedding, and going on for Streisand...

-- Part 2: Lainie Kazan talks about a career low point and how she came back...

-- Lanie Dazzles in Concert...

It's a new honor I just created after spotting this picture of Warren Beatty on a new friend's MySpace page. Can you believe how beautiful this man was? I'm guessing this is mid-to-late 60s. Anyone know when this was taken? It shows that before he became an Academy Award winning director ("Reds"), married Annette Benning and slowed down professionally to raise their four kids, he was just a breathtaking young movie star.

...Not that there's anything wrong with that!

The English newspaper The Sun writes that the Spice Girl recently confessed to the fact that she attracts gays like a moth to a light. "All the men that like me are gay. It's true. I have a really strong gaydar. I do love gay men though,"

Her hubby, sexy soccer star David Beckham, who is not gay that we know of, is still attracted to her too we assume!

As predicted, David Archuleta and David Cook will compete for the title of "American Idol" next week and THAT will be a final not to be missed! It'll be epic, a real battle of the titans. Syesha Mercado seemed prepared for the inevitable and was radiant even though it was her elimination night. As well she should be. Third place out of more than 100,000 people who tried out. I'll be among those interviewing Syesha tomorrow morning and I look forward to hearing what she has to say about her experience.

And I wonder who Syesha thinks will win next week? Will it be David the boy or David the man? As Simon Cowell said: "I think we're gonna have a real humdinger next week"

Since there are no performances to recap, I took notes on each of the hometown visits.

David Archuleta: After watching David A's hometown trip back to Utah, it was clear that this guy has already won the competition. The girls are nuts for him in the way they were for THE BEATLES! Then he won me over when he cried at his high school because he couldn't believe so many people had shown up.
At an earlier stop at the mall - which also had huge, screaming fans, he wondered: "Where did everybody park?"
We're so used to David just smiling and kind of laughing and kind of talking. We got to see more of his personality and were reminded of his youth when after watching the clips of his hometown visit from the stage he said to Seacrest: "It's embarrassing, they showed a lot of me crying. Gosh."

Syesha Mercado: At her elementary school in Florida, there was a wild crowd and people were absolutely losing their minds: "This is crazy, I've got people throwing their babies at me." Before she went on to her high school, there was a visit with her parents. Her dad, a recovering drug user, called her success on the show "a natural high" and said it was a reason to stay clean and sober."
Well, he was honest. It also gives you some insight into what a tremendous person of grit that Syesha is to rise above that and my hunch is, she's got a pretty terrific mother.
In the limo back to the airport, she sobbed: "This is so good..I feel so happy. This is my dream and I'm living it."

David Cook: Blue Springs, Mo. The newscasts were on "Cook Watch" He was latrer seen doing the weather, on radio and later thowing out a pitch at the ballpark: "It's amazing how crazy this is." There were throngs of fans (some weeping) at his concert. He then went to his elementary school to surprise his music teacher whom inspired him: It was all topped off by a parade - people lining both sides if the street: "This is a trip," he said. "I can't process it ... I got to do all the things that I wanted to do growing up here in one day...This is AMAZING!"

Chace Crawford, seen here in a GQ photo shoot, tells the magazine that gay rumors are all part of being rich and famous. The rumors about the "Gossip Girl" pretty boy were rampant a few months back when he was photographed a lot with singer JC Chazez who has denied being gay or that they are more than platonic friends.

Chace told GQ in its June issue said of these kinds of rumors "Hey, if there's a gay rumor, you know you've made it."

That's a refreshing attitude. We're seeing more and more hot young stars very non-chalant about gay rumors but, I think, those are the ones who are not gay. The ones in the closet probably have very thin skins about that kind of speculation!

I've loved Sarah Jessica Parker ever since she kept twirling around on the beach in front of Steve Martin in "LA Story" (I missed the whole Broadway ("Annie") and early television stardom ("Square Pegs"). But I really became a mega-fan from the time the first episode of "Sex and the City" aired. I've never interviewed her and the closest I've gotten to her was backstage at the Golden Globe Awards in 2001 when she ran by me holding her award.

This is my set-up for saying that I filled with envy that EOnline.com columnist Marc Malkin got to interview SJP herself before she jetted off to London for the start of an almost two-week European tour in support of Sex and the City movie. This comes on the heels of Marc's terrific interview with Janet Jackson last month. You go boy!

Here are some tidbits with the link to the whole thing at the end:

How many outfits do you bring with you for the press tour?
[Laughs.] Probably more than is necessary. But they've really got us busy over there, and we have a lot of work to do, so we are required to wear clothes. It's the law. That's how I rationalize it.

Did you watch some of the episodes to get back into your role for the movie?
Any excuse to not look at myself is preferable. And in my opinion, the script just really stood on its own. [Director and writer] Michael Patrick King has such skill in telling these women's stories. We didn't have any time to rehearse at all, so he said to all of us, "You all have been rehearsing for six years." It's strange how much muscle memory there is in a role.

The new issue of Vogue just came out with you on the cover. The shots of you and Chris Noth are amazing. The chemistry is still there.
It was incredibly easy with Chris. We stay in touch, we email, and we're really good friends, and I just adore him. I just adore being around him.

I asked a bunch of friends what they would ask if they could ask you one question, and at least five said they wanted to know which your favorite episode was.
I'm very bad at picking favorites, because I'm one of eight kids and I always heard my mother saying, "I will never pick a favorite among the eight." But I have particular fondness for the early episodes, because we were just figuring out how we wanted to tell these stories. One episode in particular is "Valley of the Twenty-Something Guys," because it's kind of dark and there's something very fresh about the storytelling.

Where do you keep all your awards? There are a lot!
I have them affectionately cluttered on a shelf in my office.

Tell me about the new Sex and the City book.
You know, we haven't talked about it with anyone else. We did this book for the movie, and what is amazing that no one realizes is that we had to go to print before the final cut of the movie. So there are scenes in the book that are cut from the movie. I just got my first copy, and it's kind of unbelievable, because it's like a version on paper of a director's cut.

I have to tell you that us gay boys are going crazy for the movie. Two people have asked me today if I have a ticket for opening day. It's like a gay bar mitzvah. And you know what, it's already sold out in Hollywood. We have to go to the Valley!
Oh, that's even better! There's great Mexican food in the Valley. But that's great! I hope it makes you all happy. I hope we've done right by our audience.

To read Mark's interview with SJP in it's entirety, go to EOnline.com.

Sara Ramirez was on "The View" this morning and looked absolutely gorgeous. She wrapped up the fourth season of "Grey's Anatomy" last weekened then flew to New York to announce the Tony Award nominations yesterday. She, of course, is a Tony winner herself for "Spamalot" and the threater-loving women of "The View" started heaping compliments her way the minute she sat down:

Whoopi Goldberg: "Your voice. You are brilliantly funny and fabulously talented."
Joy Behar :You basically stopped that show ("Spamalot").
Sara recalled what it was like the moment she won her Tony: It felt amazing. I had my mother and my best friend next to me and I was not prepared to walk up there in that dress! (pictured, right) James Earl Jones is saying my name and he's saying it right! (It's pronounced Sada)

OK, didn't mean to bury the lede: Sara also talked about the possibility that her character of Callie Flores on "Grey's Anatomy" might enter into a lesbian relationship with
Brooke Smith's surgeon character. Callie has taken up with Dr. McSteamy (Eric Dane) and a clip shown on "The View" shows Callie teasingly saying to him: "We're lovers didn't uou know?... Look me in the eye and tell me you're not thinking about a threesome.You're not thinking of her and me and you and a video camera."

Ha! I love it!

Sara said Wednesday of the lesbian possibility: "It's so interesting because nothing has really happened yet there is a lot of buzz and speculation and perhaps some assumptions ... It's a revolutionary show with universal truths about relationships. If (creator and head writer) Chandra Rhimes decdes she wants to expand that further and expand our homophobic horizons, I think it's great."

So do we!

This is the most stunning retirement in the history of tennis - even more surprising than Bjorn Borg walking away from the game at the age of 26 back in 1982.

Justine Henin, three-time defending French Open champion, reigning U.S. Open champion and top-ranked female tennis player in the world, announced Wednesday that she is leaving the sport that she ruled magnificantly last year when she set a single-season prize money record.

I can't friggen believe it! Justine had a lot of heart and that's why I liked her. She is smaller than her rivals Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport and yet she was able to win more major tournaments (seven) than all of them except for Serena who has eight. She also won the Olympic Gold Medal in 2004. She becomes the first woman to retire from tennis while atop the WTA rankings. Steffi Graf retired in 1999 while ranked number three while Chris Evert walked away 10 years earlier ranked fourth.

"This is the end of a child's dream," Justine said at a news conference in Spain. "This is a definitive decision. Those who know me know it is serious."

Like Graf, there will be no farewell tour. The retirement is immediate: "It is a new beginning for me. I feel like I already lived three lives. I gave the sport all I could and took everything it could give me. I take this decision without the least bit of regrets. It is my life as a woman that starts now."

Justine won 10 tournaments last year, but has been in one of the worst slumps of her career this season. She lost last week in the third round of the German Open and pulled out of this week's Italian Open, citing fatigue: "I thought long about this," she said, her voice cracking and eyes watering. "I started thinking about it late last year. I was at the end of the road. I leave with my head held high."

Her personal life has been a difficult one. She was divorced from her husband last year. And she was only 12 when her mother died of cancer, and became estranged from her father and siblings for nearly a decade before reconciling last year.

In addition to her four French Open titles, Henin won the Australian Open in 2004, and the U.S. Open in 2003 and 2007. The only Grand Slam title to elude her was Wimbledon, where she was the runner-up in 2001 and 2006: "Winning Wimbledon would not make me happier than I am," she said. "I could never dream of Wimbledon. It was destiny. I didn't feel myself capable. It was too much for me."

Patrick Dempsey is about as handsome a guy as there is and he handles his stardom well. It's also nice to know that he's appreciative of his gay fans as we learn in the Q&A with Brandon Voss in The Advocate. Patrick is the subject of an upcoming "Big Gay Following" feature. Here are some excerpts:

Do you have a Rupert Everett-like gay best friend?
[Laughs] He's not like Rupert Everett, but yeah, I definitely do. He's a good guy, but it took him a long time to really get out of the closet. Everyone around him knew, and then when he finally came to terms with it and said, "Yeah, I'm gay," we were like, "Finally! Good for you." You could see the release in him where he wasn't having to pretend anymore and was becoming his own person.

We're not talking about T.R., are we?
No, no, no. It's somebody else.

<Your character (in "Made of Honor") often gets mistaken for gay, which also happens to your character in 1989's "Loverboy." Has that happened to you in real life?
Sometimes now, yeah. I try not to read the blogs, but it seems everybody's convinced I'm gay -- especially since Versace. But the great thing with sexuality and being gay is that there's really no stereotype anymore.

At 17, you dropped out of high school to play David in a San Francisco production of Torch Song Trilogy. Did you or your parents have concerns about your taking a gay part so early in your career?
No, not at all. Doing theater, the gay community was always incredibly kind to me -- never aggressive or predatory, always supportive and nurturing. That was the great thing about being a part of that show. Especially being so young, there was a lot of concern only because I was out there on my own and I'd never been in the big city before, but everybody looked after me.

Have you been aware of your gay following since your breakout success in 1987's Can't Buy Me Love?
Yeah, there was some stuff that [celebrity photographer] Greg Gorman and I shot that sort of opened things up, and everybody was telling me about that. It's good fun. It's flattering.
Did you or your agents have any hesitations before accepting a three-episode arc as Will's sportscaster boyfriend on Will & Grace, your first major foray into TV?
No. When I sat down and talked with the show's creators, they were like, "Here's what we want to try to do," and I was like, "Yeah, I'm in for that." It was fun. I loved that character, and certainly that role and being on that show helped turn things around for me profoundly.

Opposite another straight actor, Eric McCormack, was it challenging to make a gay romance appear believable?
No, because you just play a relationship -- two people attracted to each other. You just trust that and don't worry about it. The situation reveals that you're gay; you don't have to play gay to be gay.

As a Versace model, not to mention all the shirtless scenes you have in Made of Honor, do you feel pressure to constantly hit the gym?
Yeah, I work out, but I'm not fanatical about it. I'm not the kind of guy who can be completely cut-up; I just want to stay in shape and be healthy and lean. But there's always the pressure of having the perfect male body. At the same time, I've got way too much going on to worry about it. You just have to go, "Here's my body," and hope people like it.

On People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" list, you came in second to Matt Damon in 2007, George Clooney in 2006, and Matthew McConaughey in 2005. How's it feel to be that close to the title for three years?
At least I'm consistently in the top two. And I've been there longer than the other guys, so that's fine.

Which male celebrity do you find sexy?
Johnny Depp, certainly, without question. There's just something about his individuality, his humility, and his sense of style. He's also immensely talented and intelligent, and that's all very sexy.

What's the oddest thing you've done with your character's action figure from Disney's Enchanted?
It's not so much what I have done but what my friends have done with the doll -- and then sent pictures of to my cell phone. They've put the doll in various sexual positions with other dolls -- with Barbie and Ken.

Here is a LINK to the entire interview...

When I saw Cynthia Nixon talk about her girlfriend Christine Marinoni on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" a few weeks ago, I was touched by her obvious love for this woman. But in the blogosphere, all I ever read is disparaging remarks about Christine's appearance. It is ridiculous. She's not a Hollywood star, so don't expect her to look like Halle Berry or Charleze Theron or even Cynthia.

I wish people would stop that kind of garbage and celebrate the same-sex love, a couple who is high-profile and showing the world that doesn't want to give us equal rights that gay people aren't all shallow and want to be in relationships.

Had to get that off my chest. Now on to the news. Cynthia, in London for the premiere of "Sex and the City," told The Mirror that she would love to marry Christine: "It's something my girlfriend is interested in and it was not something my boyfriend ever was. I think that to get married to her would be a little act of rebellion. It's like if you've never had the vote and then you get it you're going to run out there and vote."

She also said that she's never been in love with a woman before, , "I had been with men all my life and I had never met a woman I had fallen in love with before. But when I did, it didn't seem so strange. I don't define myself. I'm just a woman in love with another woman."

I think they make a beautiful couple...

The thing I liked about Star Jones' soon-to-be ex-husband Al Reynolds is that we never heard from him. Her, we hear from and it ain't always pretty. Al used his MySpace page yesterday to write about how his life has become a living hell, or something like that. I'm just gonna post it in its entirety and be done with it:

Dear Friends: If you think you are having a tough day, may I propose you walk in my shoes for a few hours. In my mind, it feels like "Dump on Al Month." And I'm not having fun yet. I have been called a gigolo, a freeloader, unemployed, a sham and many other things that don't bear repeating. People on television, radio and the Internet have spoken disparagingly of my life, my sexuality, my career and my integrity. The media has barraged me (at my home), my friends, my family (including my 79 year old mother), my college classmates, my students and my professional colleagues. Yet, despite this intense level of provocation, I have said nothing. My publicist has put out a one sentence statement: "We're taking the high road." And we have and will continue on that path.

What I want people to know is that I am not the caricature portrayed by the media. I am complex, contradictory and capable of great intelligence but also remarkable stupidity. In other words, I am a human being. To me, labels are for clothes, not people. So ... please don't try to define me; don't try to categorize me; and most of all, don't label me. Instead, JUST GET TO KNOW ME. And if you see me, just call me Al.

He's going to make that happen as he begins what appears to be some kind of get to know Al Reynolds media tour (Do we HAVE to?) He is booked to appear on Jimmy Kimmel's talk show next Thursday. The TV Guide listings says: Al Reynolds (Star Jones' husband).

OK, the three well-deserving finalists, David Cook, Syesha Mercado and David Archuleta all gave solid performances but Cook rose above the other two - so much so that if he does not win the entire competition next week it won't really matter.

David Cook, this guy is a star. I loved his version of Roberta Flack's "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" because I've loved that song forever and it also gave us a chance to enjoy Cook's softer, more quiet side. David followed with Switchfoot's "Dare You To Move" which he picked. It was nice to see him rock and roll after the slow first song but it's not like I'd want to hear the song again.
The judges were lukewarm on that one but Simon and Paula (and strangely not Randy) loved his finale: Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" chosen by producers who did him a big favor and he delivered. When he is on the stage, there is just that feeling that he belongs there and that he'll be there for a long time in big arenas and other venues. He's a lock for the final.

When it comes to the other two finalists, I actually think it was a draw on a night that they sang a song they themselves chose, one a judge chose and a third chosen by producers. Syesha got bagged on the most - even by Paula - and I think unfairly. She gave three different performances and showed much more flair and personality than Archuleta who, of course, vocally is in a league all his own.

Randy thought Syesha did an "amazing" job on the song her chose for her: Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" and the other two judges were complimentary. But that's as good as it got for her. After she sang her pick, the Peggy Lee classic, "Fever," Simon called it a "rather lame cabaret performance," and said she would "probably regret that decision tomorrow." If she regrets the third song, it's not her fault. Producers chose Gia Farrell's "Hit Me Up" but the judges all agreed that it was not the strong finish she would have hoped for. Why let the producers pick a song then? Let the performer choose two so their fate can be in their own hands. BTW, I think Syesha did a nice job with the song, very upbeat and her confidence on stage really helped sell it.

David Archuleta did a nice, subdued performance of Billy Joel's "And So It Goes" which was pretty. Paula, who called the performance "pure and stunning," picked it so we could see him do something different but I'm not sure she did him a huge favor. Simon's take: "It was very good. No surprises. [It was] a bit predictable, [which is] not really a criticism." David followed that with Chris Brown's "With You" which he picked himself. He was just fine but I understand what Simon was talking about when he said: "It was a little bit like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger in so much as it's not really you. I thought it was all a bit awkward." His final song, picked by producers, was "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg. He did a really good job with a song perfectly suited for his vocals and one that gave him plenty of opportunities to look into the camera with those big brown eyes. Randy and Paula loved it but Simon's comment, I think, should have been aimed at the producers: "I think you sang the song very well, however I thought the song and the lyrics were absolutely horrible. ... It was so gooey, it's something you choose for, like, a 90-year-old and you're 17 years old. Having said that, I do think you've done enough to get into the finals."
In closing, I gotta say that "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul seemed to have had a brain transplant tonight: she was on point, very clear, spoke in complete sentences, and didn't love every single performance. Who WAS that woman? Maybe she read a scathing Entertainment Weekly article that suggested five ways to improve "Idol" which has suffered from sagging ratings. One of them: can Paula and fellow judge Randy Jackson! I don't necessarily agree with that but when Simon Cowell's opinion is the only one the contestants really care about, it makes the other two kind or irrevlevant.

Has it really been 25 years since Jennifer Beals put on that torn sweatshirt and became a huge star in "Flashdance"? You can't tell by looking at the beautiful face of the 44-year-old actress who currently stars on Showtime's "The L Word."

Jennifer plays Ivy League educated lesbian Bette Porter on the series which is set to begin shooting its sixth and final season which will air in 2009.

"It's bittersweet," Jennifer said of the landmark show's impending end. "But I think the most important thing is that we've been telling these stories of these women in Los Angeles. What I hope mis when the show is off the air, that someone will continue to tell stories from the lesbian community in one way or another."
Jennifer, married to Ken Dixon and the mother of a 2-year-old daughter, has appeared in more than 50 movies including "Devil in a Blue Dress," "The Bride," "The Twilight of the Golds" and "The Anniversary Party." But her only previous experience with series television was way back in 1992 when she co-starred with Lisa Hartman and Drew Barrymore on the CBS summer series "2000 Malibu Road."

She didn't seem to too pleased that I mentioned "Malibu" but it was good fun as I recall.

"It's very, very different," Jennifer said of working on the two series. "This is a completely different animal. Working at Showtime and working with (series creator) Ilene Chaiken, it's been such a real pleasure. And I've also had a really great character to play - a very rich character to play."

Jennifer had just completed a film with Kevin Kline called "Joueuse" before preparing for the final season of "L Word." Still a student at Yale when she made the big studio film "Flashdance," the actress has enjoyed some of her best roles in independent films in addition to "L Word."

"It's really about the role and it's about the story," she said. "I'll go wherever the good story is."

I really knew nothing about the CBS.com reality casting series "In Turn" until I got a note today from GLAAD's Damon Romine telling me about the episode posted above: our "As the World Turns" guys Van Hansis (Luke) and Jake Silbermann (Noah), give some advice on how to lip-lock convincingly for the camera.

The remaining six contestants, three men and three women, prepare for their screen test in this episode 7 which involves their first on-screen kiss. What's cool is that only one pairing for the screen test is male-female.

Here is a link to GLAAD's cool blog CineQueer...

...trust me, I know how. I had those lips when I woke up in the middle of the night and they were HUGE.

Only I wasn't born with those lips - as I'm sure Lisa Rinna was - I got them a more painful way: an allegic reaction! The lips were double their usual size, red spots everywhere, right eyelid swelling, and welts and bumps everywhere.

Went to see my Dr. McDreamy at the Pacific Oaks Medical Group in Beverly Hills (really, he's THAT cute) and he was kind enough not to make fun of my lips. (I had worn a baseball cap hoping it might take some of the attention off of the lips). McDreamy just gave me a shot and a perscription and here I am, about an hour later, feeling a little itchy still but already better with the lip deflating to its usual size,

McDreamy was able to help me get to the bottom of it pretty quickly: I used a cheapo laundry detergent that I had never used before because it had been under my kitchen sink forever and I didn't want to run to the store to buy my usual brands Surf or Gain.

I won't make that mistake again! Now here's the real question: WHY does Lisa Rinna want her lips to look that way?

I just never would have predicted this: Neil Patrick Harris, in character as the womanizing Barney on CBS's "How I Met Your Mother," ends up in bed with Britney Spears! Well, Britney's character at least.

I'm all for it. I like that we are able to see for ourselves that Britney seems to be back from the abyss and I'd much rather see her play a crazy chick on TV than be one in real life.

And finally, it's always a treat to have NPH without a shirt on!

Here's a scene from last night's show>

So, I wrote a real tear-jerker of a letter to the folks at "Extreme Makeover" and I won a re-designed blog! But I didn't get sent to Disney World or someplace cool like that while the rehab took place. In fact, it happened Monday afternoon and thanks to Steve Rosenberg of the DailyNews.com team for re-formatting everything with so much care. You'll find a search box that works now, the most recent comments up in the left column, some ads (we gotta pay the bills!) and now I have more room for my posts with photos the size of billboards! OK, well, maybe not that big.

For my part, I spent several hours on Monday updating the archives and creating some new categories. When we started having technical problems with the blogs last year that made the whole process terminally slow, I stopped putting things in categories because it took forever. But now things are much speedier and the archives are up-to-date from March on and I plan to finish the rest of the months by week's end.

Then it's back to what I love best: creating content for this blog for all of you to enjoy!

The trailers for "Mamma Mia" have me so excited to see Meryl Streep headline a full-fledged musical for the first time. But this will not mark the first time Meryl has sung on the big screen. A few years back, she did several tunes in "A Prairie Home Companion" but my favorites are from the 1990 gem "Postcards from the Edge." Meryl does a sweet version of Ray Charles' "You Don't Know Me" early on (posted below) then ends the movie with this soaring performance of "I'm Checkin' Out" (above).

Enjoy!

...Beatrice Arthur, who turns 86 today!

All that cheesecake she ate with Rue McClanahan, Betty White and Estelle Getty on "The Golden Girls" must have really helped because the Tony winner ("Mame) and two-time Emmy winner ("Maude" and "Golden Girls") is still going strong. She sure has superb comedy timing and, she can also carry a tune!

The last time I went to Disneyland with my niece and nephew, by nephew got really scared of a cast member dressed up as The Mad Hatter. He dug Mickey, Minnie, Pluto but the man with the big nose and the big hat? Scary.

I have no doubt my nephew, who's now six, would have been just as scared had he been at the London premiere of "Sex and the City" where Sarah Jessica Parker decided to wear a potted plant on her pretty head.

Is she getting fashion tips from Hedda Hopper?

At first glance, this may look like some gratuitous beefcake shot designed to drive up this site's hits. Nothing could be further from the truth! I post this beautiful picture of actor Sean Faris because it is part of The Everyman Campaign run by The Institute of Cancer Research to raise awareness of, and funds for research into, male cancer.

I interviewed Sean, the star of the recent film "Never Back Down," a few months back. He was fully-clothed then! Here is a LINK.

Britney Spears makes her second appearance on "How I Met Your Mother" tonight and The Hollywood Reporter says in today's edition that she might be back for a third guest spot!

Britney's character of Abby, a receptionist obsessed with an uninterested Ted, has rebounded into the arms of Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) Here is a scene:

This seems like a win-win situation for Britney and for the show which now seems certain of a fourth season. Ratings have been way up since her first appearance and she has shown that despite the very public troubles she has had in recent years, she clearly seems to be on the road back.

The show's co-creator Craig Thomas told The Reporter that Monday's episode was written to leave the door open for the pop singer to make a return appearance next season: "She was better than the first time and I think the fans will enjoy it because her return answers a larger mystery set up earlier in the series. So there's a good plot reason why she's there. And when people watch Britney's second appearance on the show they'll see that the door is still open for her to come back."

"Brothers & Sisters" may have ended its second season on Sunday night but it left viewers with enough cliffhangers to mull over all summer long. One of the most intriguing involves the potential romance of Justin (Dave Annable) and Rebecca (Emily VanCamp), who he thought was his half-sister.

I gotta wonder if the writers of the show decided to make Rebecca not blood-related to the Walker clan after noticing the obvious on-screen chemistry between the two enormously attractive co-stars. They met in the middle of the show's first season when Rebecca was revealed to be the love child of the late family partriarch.

"We were both certainly aware that there was (chemistry)," Emily told me recently. "Because we were two people who had just met as well, just like these characters. It's not far-fetched that this might happen."

The two temporary siblngs had bonded from the start and you have to wonder if the writers changed the direction of Rebecca's storyline to allow for a romance.

"It's not incestious, we do find out she wasn't a Walker," Dave said, a bit defensively. "But just because she's not doesn't mean they're going to be romantically involved. Our show revolves around the family dealing with these bigger issues and obviously this is a big issue. Whichever way it goes, I think it's gonna be a lot of drama to be had."

I suggest to Emily that one way for Rebecca to become a Walker again is to marry Justin. She's already thought of that: "I know, I hope so! I want to be a Walker again so they better marry us, I'm telling you."

Dave's character could use a happy ending. He has been through drug problems, being seruously wounded in the Iraq War then getting hooked on prescription drugs while recovering from his leg injury. But in the season's later episodes, Justin is surfing again and showing far more flashes of his trademark humor.

"I was given some well-written stuff and I did the best I could and I hope that in the future there's more good stuff," Dave said. "But yeah, it's sort of nice to (have Justin) having some fun and hanging out and get a crush on your half sister."

The actor's character still lives at home with his mom, Nora (Sally Field): "Eventually I'd like Justin to get a job and move out of Nora's house but you know what, I get to work with Sally Field more so you can't really complain about that. It kinda of rocks, I gotta be honest. It's kind of amazing as an actor to look across at Sally every day. I wouldn't change anything, it's fantastic."

Patrick Dempsey, whose big-screen comedy "Made of Honor" finished in fourth place this weekend, seems to be everywhere these days...and I love it! Is there a man more perfectly suited for the cover of Men's Vogue than "Grey's Anatomy's" Dr. McDreamy?

While "Enchanted" made Patrick a movie star again, just for kicks you should rent "Loverboy" and see how adorable and funny he was as a young star in the late-80s. Kate Jackson of "Charlie's Angels" played his mother! Here's the trailer:

Talk about uncomfortable interviews. My "chat" with Ron Rifkin at the GLAAD Awards last month was a prickly affair for some reason. I could not engage the man who plays uncle Saul on "Brothers & Sisters" during our brief chat but will share with you what was said. I wouldn't bother with it at all but the character came out to the entire Walker clan last night after Scotty and Kevin's wedding leading Justin (Dave Annable) to say: "This is the gayest week of my life!"

Here is our very strange chat:

Q.Good to see you, I;'ve seen you a few times now.
A. Yes.
Q. I've seen some photos of the commitment ceremony between Scotty and Kevin. People are really touched that that's gonna happen. Since we're at the GLAAD Awards here, what are your thoughts about it?
A. Well, yes. How can we not be moved by it? It's time.
Q. And what about your character...
A. What about my character?
Q. What's happening with him?
A. Well, I think he comes out.
Q. Is he gonna come out?
A. Yes, I think he does.
Q. This is a man of a different generation. How do you feel it's been portrayed?
A. "I think it's wonderful that on network television, we have a man of a certain age who's conflicted about his sexuality, who comes from a generation that hid things like that. And we're able to watch television at 10 o'clock on Sunday night in our houses and see this guy struggle with this and hopefully come out on the right end."
Q. How is it for you as an actor? Are you enjoying it creatively?
A. I'm thrilled to be here.
Q. And how about being at the GLAAD Awards?
A. How great is that? Yeah, we're thrilled to be here.

Gee, coulda fooled me.

The images of Kevin and Scotty on "Brothers & Sisters" exchanging vows on "Brothers & Sisters" Sunday were powerful ones. Two young men, in love, being united on prime time television and becoming a family. I loved it.

But there was so much more that went on that had me feeling all kinds of emotions.

In the first alone scene between Scotty (Luke Macfarlane) and Kevin's mom Nora (Sally Field), he thanks her for helping with the ceremony and she said: "I should be thanking you for making Kevin so happy - and, I get another son."

Contrasting Nora are Scotty's parents who decline to attend. He tells Kevin (Matthew Rhys): "I'm tired of banging my head against that particular wall - there's nothing I can do about it." Kevin and his brothers road trip it to Arizona in a last ditch effort to get the parents to reconsider. The mom says she loves Scotty but "don't expect us to sit there and rub our noses in this present wedding."

Scotty's dad won't dare go against his wife but as Kevin leaves, he does something that showed exactly where his heart is: he handed Kevin a box with a pair of cuff links inside. He wore them when he got married and promised Scotty he could wear them on his wedding day. It's a beautiful moment when Kevin hands Scotty the box which we learn he had made for his dad in 7th grade shop class.

Kevin had wanted a no-frills ceremony but Nora went ahead and gussied things up anyway and there were flowers EVERYWHERE. When Kevin protests, his mother tells him: "You and Scotty deserve this night to be as romantic and memorable as anyone else's." Kevin softens and hugs his mom.

Here are some scenes from the show. The ceremony is in the second clip...

Tonight's the night! ABC, 10 p.m., Kevin and Scotty commit to each other before their families (except Scotty's parents) and friends. To get you up to speed on this great TV romance, here are some of my favorite scenes between two of my favorite TV characters - ever:

The early days (Scotty was far more flamboyant then, and just as cute!)

Making up and making out in the kitchen...

Post lobster dinner kiss...

Making up...and making out in the car...

and finally...the proposal...

Mark my words: Novak Djokovic is going to be the number one tennis player in the world by the end of the year. He won the Rome Masters tournament on Sunday, his third victory of the year. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the two players ranked above him, have suffered some uncharacteristic losses and their nearly four-year grip on the top two spots appears to be slipping.

After his win, he cknowledged he is a contender to become No. 1: "I hope so. But I don't want to think about No. 1 yet. I know a lot of people will start talking now about me being one of the best players. Let's see. I'm taking it as it comes."

I have not seen this yet but wanted to give the David Decoteau film, "House of Usher" a shout out because here! TV finally sent me some images from the film which premiered on the .premium gay television network Friday as well as in theaters.

The movie is loosely based on the Edgar Allan Poe classic short story, The Fall of the House of Usher. Here's a synopsis: Victor Reynolds (Michael Cardelle) receives a desperate letter from his childhood friend and first love, Roderick Usher (Frank Mentier). Roderick, a notorious recluse, has not left the grounds of his hilltop mansion in many years. He is in bad health and he needs Victor's love and care to survive. However, after a series of bizarre and spooky events, Victor realizes that both his friend and the house have a dark past that no one has lived to uncover.

And if that doesn't get your attention, the photo below will!

Rosie O'Donnell has returned to Broadway for a run in "No No Nanette" and her reviews have been terrific - better than those for the overall show,

New York Times: Ms. O'Donnell, of whom you may have heard, scores a personal triumph as the Smiths' grumpy, bossy maid. With only minimal changes in vocal and facial expressions, she projects more comic authority than anyone around her (and more, I might add, than she ever has before in her various outings on Broadway).

Newsday:: ...Most fun involves Rosie O'Donnell, as the second-banana wisecracking maid, doing a few minutes of sweetly capable tap at the end,

TheaterMania.com: Then there's O'Donnell, who has the script's drollest lines and knows precisely how to land them. For much of the time she's pushing a recalcitrant Hoover around, and it becomes a metaphor for her ability to hoover up the yuks. Plus, she taps like a demon. (Eat your heart, Barbara Walters!)

Washington Post: And then there is Rosie O'Donnell as a wisecracking maid. O'Donnell may not be much of a singer, but she's a game tapper and wins most of her laughs playing off a recalcitrant vacuum cleaner, not the easiest of tasks.

Variety: And while she could stand to loosen up a little more, Rosie O'Donnell deadpans enjoyably as the Smiths' put-upon maid Pauline, even muscling in on the dance action with a brief but capable tap solo.

Whoopi Goldberg, so perfect as the moderator on "The View," seems to have done it all in showbiz. She's an Oscar winner ("Ghost"), she's headlined big box office hits ("Sister Act") and a classic ("The Color Purple"), headlined on Broadway ("Ma Rainey's Black Bottom") had her own talk show, sitcom and radio show, and hosted everything from the Academy Awards to the Grammys to Comic Relief.

But she has never hosted the Tony Awards. Until now.

Whoopi will emcee the 2008 telecast of Broadway's big night, after two years in which the award ceremony had no single host. In 2005 Hugh Jackman served as host for the third year in a row. A large group of presenters and performers served as collective hosts in 2006 and 2007. Other multiple-year hosts have included Rosie O'Donnell who did three years in a row in the 90s and Angela Lansbury.

CBS will broadcast the Tonys live from Radio City Music Hall on June 15. Nominations will be announced Tuesday.

Andy Roddick made it all the way to the semifinals of the Italian Open - played on his worst surface - only to have to withdraw from the clay court tournament Saturday with a painful back injury. Get better soon Andy!

Noel was awfully cute, but ya kinda understood why "Felicity" picked Ben and why she followed him across the country to NYC like a stalker! The actor who played Ben, Scott Speedman, is as cute as he ever was as you can see from these two pics of him riding a bike around town.
To see plenty more of these, go to JustJared.com

For those of us who have been big fans of Jean Smart since she was on "Designing Women," it's been absolutely fantastic to have her back on TV each week in a situation comedy.

Her role as Regina, Christina Applegate's mom on ABC's "Samantha Who?" is a riot and light years away from her most famous role as the sweet Charlene on "Women."

"When I read the pilot, I thought it was so, so funny," Jean said a few days ago. "Here's a woman who videotapes her daughter coming out of coma so she can go on 'Extreme Makeover.'"

The series has its season finale Monday night and will return in the fall for its second season. It revolves around Samantha (Applegate) who suffers from amnesia after an accident and doesn't remember that she and her mother are estranged.

"She's been given this second chance with her daughter, any parent's dream," Jean said of Regina. "She's not handling it very well. She's a little clumsy when it comes to mothering. She thinks she's doing the right thing but often, she's not at all. She refuses to do any self analysis. If anything's wrong, it's someone else's fault. It's funny to play someone who's not introspective when she's up against a daughter who is constantly picking apart every moment."

Jean is such a hoot on "Samantha" but her television resume is filled with many indelible characters. I asked about some of my favorites:

Charlene Frasier ("Designing Women") "I love that character, she took everything and everyone at face value. She saw the good in everyone. It was a great time and it was a special time in my life. I met my husband on the show and had my son on the show. And I worked with these great women."

Lana Gardner ("Frasier"), a recurring role that won Jean two Emmy Awards: "It was such a funny character. At the time, I had my nose in the air about guest spots. My agent said, 'I think you should read this. I read it and it was hilarious. It appealed to my sense of humor and I thought the show was brilliant and everyone on it was amazing. The first table read, we are all laughing so hard we could barely get through it. She was this perfectly lovely woman with an anger management problem. The audience knew Kelsey (Grammer) so well, that every time she did something crass - like putting a cigarette out in a glass of wine - they knew how Frasier was going to react."

First Lady Martha Logan ("24"): "She had the best written introduction. ... It was this woman in an expensive beaded silk suit and jewelry who dunks her head in the sink. It said everything: no impulse control. You never knew what to expect. She was volatile and had an odd sense of humor."

Martha was married to U.S. Pres. Charles Logan (Gregory Itzin) and Jean earned two Emmy nods for the role: "I never expected to go on past that fifth (season) but the characters turned out to be so popular that they felt they had to bring us back long enough for me to stab him in the neck with a fruit knife and kill him."

Elinore 'Ellie' Walker ("High Society") "I think CBS, at the time, found it a bit much. A few years later, they kind of thought, 'Oh gee, that might have worked really well. They said we are not doing (the British comedy 'Absolutely Fabulous') which I had never seen. But of course we were doing AbFab! It was great fun. I got to wear fabulous clothes, I got to lust after Mary (McDonnell's) teenaged son and be a pill popping, drunken romance novelist. I felt that if it wasn't over the top, it would be tasteless and not as funny."
Here are some funny scenes from that short-lived but fabulous show:

Can you stand the wait? I can't! Kevin and Scotty are getting hitched on Sunday night's episode of "Brothers & Sisters." I'm got my box of tissue ready and am gonna throw rice at the TV or something silly like that.

Here is a video of some moments from their romance leading up to the big day...

I've got a terrific mom who I love dearly but I have to admit, there have been some other mothers in my life - on television anyway!

So it was a great thrill last week to meet and chat with TV moms Marion Ross ("Happy Days"), Bonnie Franklin ("One Day at a Time"), Marjorie Lord ("Make Room for Daddy") and Meredith Baxter ("Family Ties") who were among those who gathered at the Television Academy in North Hollywood for a night of reminiscing and reunions with their on-screen kids.

I reminded Marion of the time I met her 3-4 years back at Jerry's Deli when I was there having breakfast with Melissa Gilbert. I thought it was so cute that Marion brought her own flowers to dress up her table.

"We bring our own syrup too," she said, laughing. "Sometimes I bring my own tablecloth."
So what is it like to go through life where everyone knows you as Mrs. Cunningham: "It's only been wonderful for me to be Mrs. C. because everyone's so good to me, they're so nice to me."

Is the cast still in touch?

"I talk to the Fonz (Henry Winkler) a lot and Ron (Howard), we were all in New York for "The Today Show," she said. "And Erin (Moran), and Donny (Most) and Anson (Williams), and my Tom (Bosley), we love to see each other."

So what about Chuck, her older son on the show who disappeared without explanation after the first season?

"You know, we had three of those Chucks, three different Chucks (laughs). It's one of the most asked questions we ever get. People say, 'How could you lose a son like that? What a careless family.'"

Meredith, who played Elyse Keaton on "Ties," couldn't lose her TV son since he was played by Michael J. Fox. She expressed surprise at being included in a night with such other legendary TV moms.

"I'm thrilled to be part of it but I keep thinking someone's gonna find out that I'm here and ask me to leave," she said. "I think (Elyse) loved her kids desperately. I think she didn't know what to do with the Alex (Fox) character. He just flouted all their (liberal) beliefs."
Marjorie was not only joined by her TV daughter, Angela Cartwright, at the event, but also by her real-life daughter, Academy Award-nominated actress Anne Archer.

"She was always an actress so I was used to seeing her perform but more on the stage," Anne said. "So it was fun when I saw her on the television series. But it was kind of normal life for me, for mom to be acting. That's what I thought most people did."
Marjorie was happy to participate in the reunion: "It brings back a lot of memories and happy times."

Bonnie was joined at the event by both her famous TV daughters: Valerie Bertinelli and Mackenzie Phillips. She talked about what it was like being the first divorced sitcom mom on TV and how she fought for the show to reflect that.

"It was a really good period of time in my life and an important time in my life," she said. "It allowed me to do what I want to do the rest of my life."

Barbara Billingsly, who played June Cleaver on "Leave it to Beaver," was too ill to attend the event but I spoke with her two on-screen sons Jerry Mathers (Beaver) and Tony Dow (Wally).

"She was very much like she was on the show," Jerry said. "She's just a lovely, beautiful, wonderful woman and very positive and very professional. I'm prejudiced but I think she's America's number one TV mom."

Oh, this is amusing.

A photo of Isaiah Washington, in character as Dr. Preston Burke, was flashed to on a recent episode of "Grey's Anatomy" and apparently the actor - fired after the show's second season - is none too pleased.

Here is a statement from his rep via Towleroad.com: "Isaiah has no plans to go back to Grey's Anatomy ... That being said, we were more than a little surprised that ABC used his likeness in a promo for the show, and indeed advanced his character's storyline. Mr. Washington's attorney has contacted the Screen Actors Guild and ABC as to the appropriateness of that action."

Seeing as Isiash's "Grey's" follow-up, "Bionic Woman" was short-lived, I'd think he'd be happy to have any prime-time exposure.

Well, it's not McDreamy and McSteamy finally playing tonsil hockey together but it's pretty darn good. On last night's episode of "Grey's Anatomy," a hospitalized soldier kisses his solidier boyfriend very passionately until somebody's disappointing dad walks in. Arrrg! According to Towleroad.com, the soldiers were played by Benny Ciaramello (Friday Night Lights' Santiago) and MTV Road Rules grad David Giuntoli.

As a certain vapid blonde would say, "That's hot!" It has my vote for the hottest same-sex kiss in the history of prime-time television! See for yourself!

...oh heck, it looks like he's probably just with a trainer but, MADE YA LOOK! Lance is seen here coming out of the Equinox gym in South Beach...Happy Friday!

I'm so sorry I wasn't on this story sooner because it is just too delicious!

You obviously recognize Mario Lopez in the photo on the right. The photo above is of Nick Adams, Mario's co-star in the Broadway production of "A Chorus Line." It seems that Mario wanted Nick's biceps covered up to avoid detracting attention from his! I love it!

New York Post Broadway columnist Michael Riedel writes: DOES Mario Lopez suffer from biceps envy?

This Disease of the Vain usually strikes hunky guys who come into close contact with even hunkier guys. They see a set of biceps larger then theirs, and they go bananas.

Lopez, who just took over the role of Zach, the exacting director of "A Chorus Line," is mighty proud of his biceps. So proud, in fact, that he refused to wear Zach's costume, a tan sweater with long sleeves.

It's an iconic outfit, based on that worn in real life by "A Chorus Line" creator Michael Bennett, and it's been worn by countless Zachs in productions of "A Chorus Line" all over the world for the past 30 years.

But "Flex" Lopez wanted to wear a brown shirt with short sleeves so that he could show off his biceps. (The audience, I gather, isn't complaining.)

The only trouble is, Flex is sharing the stage with a pair of biceps larger than his. They belong to Nick Adams, who plays Larry, the assistant choreographer.

Larry's iconic costume is a navy blue tank top with the number 17 on it. For "A Chorus Line" nerds, that number is significant - there are 17 performers auditioning for the eight spots in the chorus.

Flex, sources say, was concerned that Adams' biceps would upstage his, so he requested that Adams wear a hoodie over his tank top, which Adams does whenever he's next to Flex.

Click HERE to read the column in its entirety...

Jason Castro may have forgotten the lyrics to "Mr. Tamborine Man" on "American Idol" this week, but that doesn't mean he didn't want to win the singing competition.

I mentioned to Jason during a conference call Thursday that judge Simon Cowell had speculated that the dreadlocked hearthrob had intentionally flubbed the song because he wanted to be done with the rigors of the show.

He laughed then said: "I definitely did not do that on purpose. I couldn't believe I forgot such a popular line, something that's, like, written on your soul. Somehow it slipped my mind, but I definitely didn't do it on purpose."

So, I asked, he still wanted to win?

"Yesterday I wanted to win, and the day before that," he said. "I think what it came down to was just my inexperience. Once we doubled up on songs, I wasn't really able to focus. ... My mind was split, and I just couldn't deliver either/or.

Jason had made it to the final four but was voted off Wednesday night leaving David Archuleta, David Cook and Syesha Mercado as the final three.

While Brooke White cried tears of anguish a week earlier, Jason could not have appeared more carefree when he got the boot.

"I was as happy last night as I was when I found out I made the top 24," he said. "This whole time, I had a blast. And I was trying. But it's just really been hard. ... I remember before we found out about the results, I was really starting to fear the week ahead. If I had made it, (I thought)'How am I going to do three songs?' I can't even do two right!" With the hometown visit, it was just going to be a lot of work, even though it would've been so much fun. I was just freaking out about it. That was all building up...I loved my time on there, and I would've liked to go farther, but I don't think I could handle it. I'm content."

You gotta love this kid's honesty!

Jason, 20, didn't pick up a guitar until his freshman year I college and his public performances consisted of about a dozen shows in his hometown of Rockwall, Tx. late last year as practice for "Idol."

So it's been a big adjustment being on national television each week and being mobbed by fans.

"It's kind of a weird thing,