July 2008 Archives

I had not realized that The National Enquirer had her near-death but I'm happy to post this note I was just sent in regards to Elizabeth Taylor from her Los Angeles-based spokesman Dick Guttman:

"Ms. Taylor is fine. The rumors which began in England about her health are dramatic, overstated and untrue. Her hospital visit was precautionary. She will be returning home shortly. At present, she is surrounded by family, friends and fabulous jewels."

This is downright painful!

Roger Federer, one of the greatest players in the history of his sport, is in absolute free-fall and his latest loss will probably cost him his record-run at No. 1.

Defending champion Federer suffered a 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) loss to Croatia's Ivo Karlovic in the third round of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters on Thursday. By failing to reach the semifinals, the Swiss star will see his streak of 235 weeks atop the rankings end if Rafael Nadal wins the title.

The folks from Fitness Magazine were nice enough to send me some of the quotes from their article on Kathy Griffin. You'll have to go out and buy the mag to see the whole shebang but here are a few appetizers:

ON AN ENVIABLE HOLLYWOOD FIGURE: "I've come to terms with the fact that I'm never going to be Jennifer Aniston. I spent too long trying to get a body like Jennifer Aniston. It never worked. I had liposuction, and everything else. Then I realized, oh, what if I just ate better and exercised."

ON BEING 47: "I'll say to my younger friends, C'mon I have a hot body, right? I mean not a hot body Hollywood style. But it's hot for 47. So that's my new thing. I like my body now. For 47, it's pretty darn good. For 27, it's not great. For 47, it's pretty good...I actually obsessed about it so much more. That's really the best thing about 47. When I think about when I was 27, it was all I thought about. I was constantly denying foods that I wanted and binging on foods when I was hungry and going on every crazy diet. Now it's on my mind of course, but...I've come to accept I'm going to fluctuate five pounds over the year."

ON PLASTIC SURGERY: "It's the same reason I stopped getting plastic surgery. I've been off the junk, as I call it, for five years. I've had face lift, eye job and all that stuff five years ago. What I found though was that it didn't help me one bit. It didn't get me happier or didn't make me look particularly younger, it didn't help me get jobs. I really thought ageism is so prevalent in Hollywood, especially in standup, it's such a male dominated zone. I thought dammit, I got to do everything I can to look my best. Luckily, and you know probably 95 percent of women are in this position, luckily it's not really going to keep you from what you want. For example, if you work in an office, you're probably going to do the same job if you're 10 pounds heavier or lighter. I'm not talking about anorexia or obesity---those are obviously two different animals. But I spent 20 years of my life obsessing about 10, 15 pounds, and what I found as a comedian, what I really now realize as a comedian, especially at my age, is that nobody expected me to come out in a bikini anyway. I thought as long as my jokes are funny, I've never lost a job because of my weight, and I've certainly never gotten a job because of my cosmetic surgery or my weight."

ON WORKING OUT: "It doesn't mean you have to schlep to the gym every day or have a trainer or whatever. So that's something I'm more open to. And exercise doesn't always have to be this nightmare trip to the gym. For me, when I started going to the gym, I would feel inadequate. I'd be next to the bimbo with the perfect body and big tits and I'd be kind of going if I worked out more I could look like her. And I was never going to look like her. And I'm actually doing fine not looking like her--and most women do fine not looking like her."

ON STANDUP EXERCISE: "Also, by the way, I just want to say that when you're doing standup for two hours a show and two shows a night, that's a workout itself. So when I'm walking off stage covered in sweat that's got to be some kind of workout."

IF SHE WERE HOSTING THE SHOW AT 27: "It's a weird combo for me of being more focused and I'm calmer. You know, the cliché, I don't sweat the small stuff. But when it comes to the big stuff, I'm a shark. I've finally learned what's the important stuff...For example, If I'd had this year when I was 27, I wouldn't have been able to focus on the D List and trying to make it a good show. I'd probably have a crush on one of the camera guys, I'd be obsessing about my weight, on a diet, I'd be auditioning for some show, whether it was going to become a pilot. Now I'm okay, I get it, the guys who come to work here come to work. And now that they're so much younger, I can ignore them anyway."

ON HER PREFERED WORKOUT GEAR: "To me, I'm more of a cardio person, I'm not a calm, yoga zen person. If it were up to me, I would have way tight thongs and striped leotards and leg warmers and head bands. That's my era. Jane Fonda."

THOUGHTS ON HER BODY NOW: "I like my body now more than I did two decades ago."

HER FAVE SNACK: "Peanut butter. It's pure protein but won't drag you down like a burger. When I'm on tour, I have my own personal jar--I'm fancy like that--and I eat it with a spoon."

What I really liked about Ben Shenkman - besides the fact that he's such a terrific actor - is that when I met him on the opening night of Outfest last month, he was absolutely the first celebrity to arrive.

That meant we could have a nice conversation on the red carpet without my eyes darting around every so often to make sure I'm not missing anyone else!

Ben's first leading role was in the romantic comedy "30 Days" in 1999 and he went on to appear in the features "Chasing Sleep," "Requiem for a Dream," and "Americanese." But his biggest role was his role in HBO's adaptation of Tony Kushner's hit play "Angels in America." On television, Ben had recurring roles on "Law & Order," "Canterbury's Law" and "Love Monkey."

Now Ben is one-half of a gay couple in "Breakfast With Scot" who take in a relative's orphaned and very free-spirited young son. Tom Cavanaugh plays Ben's partner, a former NHL star who is now a publicly closeted sportscaster. The film marked the first time major Canadian hockey teams had allowed a gay film to be made at their facilities. "Breakfast" was the opening night film at Outfest.

"This one has really thrived on the (film festival) circuit in a way that I haven't seen before in my own experience with little movies," Ben said. "They at a certain point thought it would probably go straight to DVD in the U.S. but it just kept playing really well in the festival circuit. It's so nice, it;s what's supposed to happen in a way - a film that connects with audiences has a chance to get out there."
I asked Ben about the amazing Noah Bernett who plays the young boy who changes the couple's lives.

"The whole thing wouldn't have worked if they hadn't found him," Ben said of Noah. "It can have no trace of a self-conscious performance about it otherwise you're not worried for him. And all the comedy comes out of being worried for him and all the pathos comes out of being worried for him. They were just very lucky to find that kid."

On working with Tom Cavanaugh: "He's great. I'm in the movie more or less because of him because I had worked on both of his TV shows ("Ed" and "Love Monkey") and gotten to know him there so when they were putting this together, he called up and said, 'If you;re free, this would be a good part.' He was intimately involved at that point in getting the script together, he had a lot of input."

On the NHL's cooperation: "It created a little bit of news because there were people who got angry at the NHL. And the NHL, so admirably, was just like this is such a non-issue. They didn't see themselves as endorsing anything. They weren't trying to be progessive, they just didn't give a (expletive) in the nicest possible way."

Ben is also in the terrific little film "Then She Found Me" which also premiered at the Palm Springs Film Festival and marked the directorial debut of Helen Hunt. Ben played her brother in the film. The film enjoyed a surprisingly strong run in limited release and comes out on DVD in September. It also starts Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick and Colin Firth.

Be sure to catch both films this fall!

There are so many not-so-interesting people around (sorry, that's mean) and I think part of the reason is that radio personality Cary Harrison is interesting enough for a few dozen people. He's smart, opinionated and provocative and currently hosts "Think Green Radio." We chatted about it a few months ago and I present it to you now as one of my "lost interviews."

"We feature everyone from Al Gore to (Robert) Redford and lots of movie stars," Harrison said of his daily show. "The idea is to teach people how to comfortably go green in places where they might still think it's a hoax. It's one thing in LA or New York to yell, 'Sell your Hummer!' People already get it. ...
It was Al Gore who got me to do it. I was at Sundance a couple of years ago and he said, 'You know, if your car gets greater than 16 miles per gallon, you're part of the solution. If it gets fewer, you're part of the problem. So what do you drive?' At the time I had a C4 and he said, 'Oh, that gets about 14. What does that make you?'; And so, I thought, let;s go baby. If it's good enough for Al, who's now a Nobel Peace Prize winner and the rest .. if it takes a fag to carry the baton. I am the only one on tens of thousands of radio stations every single day trying to get this message out. So, a little fairy dust in it, it's kinda fun!"

Harrison tells me the show is on regular AM, FM and hi-def radio stations and on cell phones now all over the world. ThinkGreenRadio.com. ,

Harrison's broadcast career began on cable when he co-hosted and produced an entertainment show for multiple cable systems. The program, "Screen Test," won several cable ACE honors and was the forerunner for what later became E! Entertainment Television. That led quickly to Talk Radio, Morning FM, syndication, and satellite radio.

Most recently, Harrison has gathered further accolades as the host of popular talk program "Harrison on the Edge."

It's not often that David Beckham isn't the cutest famous personality in a photo. But hey, it's kinda tough to out-cute Elmo!

Any guy who spends so much time on his body knows how good he looks. But it's always even sexier if he behaves as if he doesn't know how studly he is. This is certainly not the case with current "Big Brother" contestant Jessie as these few clips show...
Here is a LINK to the houseguests reacting to the earthquake. In the last few seconds, amid the chaos, Jessie takes off his shirt!

And here's a clip of Jessie being made fun of on "The Soup" because, well, you really do have to make fun of this guy.

...The divine Delta Burke turns 52 today!

This deliciously talented actress is obviously best known for her classic portrayal of Suzanne Sugarbaker during the first five seasons on "Desiging Women" and on the short-lived spinoff "Women of the House." Suzanne is one of the most brilliant comic creations in the history of television and one of those rare times when it was the perfect meeting of actress and character.

I've remained a fan of Delta's since the show and she has done some great stuff. Among my faves was her portrayal of Cherry Cherry during the second season of "Popular." She was a riot! Delta also had a recurring role on "Boston Legal," and a decent sitcom on ABC, "Delta," that had decent ratings in the mid-90s but was not renewed. But she has triumphed on Broadway in "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and "Steel Magnolias" and was a smash in the touring production of "Southern Baptist Sissies" and in the indie fave "Sordid Lives."

Delta, married to Gerald McRaney for more than 20 years, was to be a part of "Sordid Lives: The Series" but had to pull out to get treatment for her depression. She has been very open about her life-long stuggle with mental illness and helped people to realize that with treatment, they can have happy and productive lives. It's so important when celebrities like Delta help to remove the stigmas because it leads others to get help.

She's a great lady!

Here is:Delta on "The View" a few years ago:

The following are some of my favorite Suzanne moments from "Designing Women"

Seems like a no-brainer to me but in this appearance on "Chelsea Lately," Antonio just doesn't want to go there:

It's the week before the Olympics and the top tennis players are in Cincinatti polishing their games. My favorite baseline hottie Robby Ginepri took a set off top-ranked (for now) Roger Federer before losing 6-7, 7-6, 6-0. If Rafael Nadal wins the tournament and Federer loses before the semifinals, Rafael will be number one. Meanwhile, that other American heartthrob, Andy Roddick, comtinued to have a crummy summer. He had to pull out of the tournament shortly before he was to play his first match. Andy had already snubbed the Olympics which I fund stunning since he is the top U.S. player and has represented the country in Davis Cup so faithfully.

I hadn't seen "South of Nowhere" but that didn't stop me from interviewing two of the show's stars: Gabrielle Christian who plays a high schooler involved in a lesbian relationship; and Maeve Quinlan who plays her mother.

The show, which follows the lives of the members of the Carlin family as they adjust to moving from Ohio to Los Angeles, was cancelled after three seasons but will return this fall with its last original eight episodes.

I spoke with Gabrielle and Maeve at the GLAAD Awards in late April as I continue to post these "lost interviews" during my summer vacation:

One of the main focuses of the show is the relationship between Spencer Carlin (Christian) and her out and proud friend, Ashley Davies (Mandy Musgrave). The close friendship between the girls eventually led Spencer to question her own sexuality.

"It's really been an incredible journey just kind of coming out of your shell for me - I'm straight in real life - and coming into a character who is exploring the journey of her sexual identity," Gabrielle said. "It's interesting because you find out so much about people that you wouldn't generally experience. People have these stereotypes of what lesbian women are like. Our show kind of stayed clear of all those stereotypes. My character is just a girl from the Midwest who falls in love with another girl and that's what it's all about. It's not about sexual exploitation or sensationalizing the whole idea of being a lesbian - like, it's hot. It's more about the emotional involvement which is really exciting to play."

I wondered of Gabrielle hears from many young gays and lesbians who watch the show and gotten feedback from them.

"Yeah, very good feedback." she said. "Our show is one of the first that deals with lesbian girls in high school as opposed to just the boys. So for girls, it;s kind of like a new outlet for them to see another girl being through it."

For Maeve, the role of the mom of the family came after she had been a cast member of the CBS soap "The Bold and the Beautiful" for more than a decade. Here, in her own words, is what her experience playing the mother of a gay teen:

"I feel such a tremendous responsibility because because I have such close girlfriends, who, when they were coming out, they could never come out at that age in high school. As a matter of fact, one of my friends just came out at 40 to her mother though she's been living a gay lifestyle for 15 years. So I feel a tremendous responsibility because I feel that kids nowadays, with television, we have the means to give them a real message.whereas when we were growing up, they didn't have programs like this. Girls my age always say to me, 'I wish we had a show like 'South of Nowhere' back when we had 'The Brady Bunch.' Those were great shows that we fun but they didn't have anything like this.
"I hope I'm doing a good job. i play a homophobic character so it's very difficult for me personally to play her. She came around this season, which is great. I hope the show, in the end, has given a lot of hope and I hope that girls, guys, whoever is watching this with their parents, that they don't feel so alone and maybe their parents hopefully will learn something. Thank God for MySpace because we get the instant gratification of knowing we're making a difference."

Maeve has moved on to the irreverent lesbian-themed Internet romp, "3WAY" about a straight soap actress who moves her best gay girlfriend into her home only to be followed by an array of whacky lesbian characters.

The "Project Runway" judge turns 55 today!

This is another one of my "lost interviews" that is seeing the light of day during my vacation week. At the GLAAD Awards in late April, I chatted with Calperina Addams and Andrea James of "Transamerica Love Story." It was only the day before that I had interviewed Lee Pace who played Calpernia in the superb HBO film "Soldier's Girl."

As for Andrea, I had met her just a few weeks earlier when my blogger pal Kenneth Walsh (Kennethinthe212) invited some friends to meet at The Abbey when he was in LA. I confessed to Andrea at the GLAAD Awards that the entire night - and we talked at length - I did not know she was a transgender woman.

Anyway, both women hoped that their dating show, "Transamerica Love Story" helped to shatter some stereotypes: "We often get portrayed as so tragic and serious," said Andrea. "This was just a chance to have some fun."

Added Calpernia: The amazing thing that Logo did with this was they showed trans people dating as being so normal, like it really is. I think it's going to open it up for trans women to feel worthy of love and for guys to not be afraid to date us...I got to meet a lot of nice guys. You can never give love away as a prize but you can give the opportunity away."

I asked Andrea and Calpernia for their thoughts on Thomas Beatie, the trans man who famously gave birth recently to a daughter.

"That's outside my world and I'm focusing on what I know how to do: entertainment and trans women issues," Calpernia said, not wanting to be drawn into any controversy. "It's such a huge decision and it's outside anything I've had to think about that I'm just leaving it to him. I Wish them all the happiness in the world, that;s all I can say."

Andrea also weighed in on the topic: "I feel like it;s part of our whole situation, people always trying to control what we do with our bodies and in the end, I think it's a matter of personal rights."

I think these are two really sensational ladies!

Wilson Cruz is an actor who I've written about many times on this blog and in my newspaper column who I greatly admire and who is a really special guy. I've seen him several times in the past month or so at events so this interview that we did at the GLAAD Awards in late April is just a little dated but still worth posting.

Here is our little chat:

Q. Hey you! What's new with you?
A. I'm recurring on a new series for Steven Bochco called 'Raising the Bar." I just completed the first episode of what I hope will be many. At least two ], probably more. It's got Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Jane Kaczmarek. I play Rafael de la Cruz, this very flamoyant character that becomes a love interest for one of the main characters - Jonathan Scarfe.

Q. Great! Too bad you can't be Mark-Paul's love interest too! Okay, what else you got going on?
A. We're doing the second season of "Rick and Steve (The Happiest Gay Couple In the World)" at the moment and "He's Just Not That Into You" coming out in October.

Q. Here we are at the GLAAD Awards. I'll bet you;ve been to a lot of these.
A. It gets bigger and better every year. This year was especially special for me because of the award (in Miami) I got a couple of weeks ago. It was an overwhelming night. I felt completely honored and cried halfway through my speech.

Q. How did it feel to get that kind of recognition? You've been out since you were 19 (in 1994) and you didn't get a lot of attention in the same way as TR Knight or Neil Patrick Harris. How did it feel to know that people really do know what you went through?
A. It's overwhelming. I feel incrediboly supported by this industry. I've been allowed to be who I am and live my life and do great work. I'm incredibly proud. I continue to be amazed by the opportunities that continue to come my way. I knock on wood that they keep coming."

Politico.com submitted a list of questions to Barbra Streisand's website and the superstar/political activist ended up replying with her most wide-ranging answers on the election issues and the presidential candidates to date.

I've picked out a few. You can read them all at Politico.com:

You're a loyal Democrat and supported Hillary Clinton's run for the presidency. Was switching allegiance to Barack Obama simple and instantaneous for you, or did you have to overcome some difficult feelings about him?
We had a very deep bench of Democratic Presidential candidates in the primary, and we were very lucky to finally have two capable, dynamic and intelligent candidates vying to be the nominee. Supporting Senator Obama for President was an immediate decision for me after Senator Clinton ended her bid for the Democratic nomination. Throughout this process, they challenged each other to be better. It was a historical race, with Hillary breaking through that glass ceiling for all women and Barack inspiring young kids that they can overcome their circumstances to reach greatness.
What would you say to Hillary supporters who might be moving to vote for McCain, a number estimated to be around 10-15% of Senator Clinton's fans?
I would urge those voters to take a step back and realize that our country is at an extremely serious crossroad. We are on the verge of a recession, we are grappling with global climate change and experiencing record high gas prices. Our young men and women are still dying in Iraq and so many Americans are still living without health insurance. There is too much at stake right now to elect another George W. Bush to the White House. And John McCain is just that. He has stated that the issue of economics is not something he's understood as well as he should. He does not support reproductive rights for women, increased veteran's benefits and ending the war in Iraq. There is just no reason for Senator Clinton's supporters not to back Senator Obama.

How do you think the election will play itself out over the next four months, and how do you think the subject of race will continue to be a factor?
As we head toward November, I think the race will continue to be close--although I hope I am wrong. But this country likes tight races and I am afraid it will ultimately come down to which campaign turns out the most voters on Election Day. I want to believe that our country can see beyond race as a factor in voting for a Presidential candidate...that instead, a candidate's intellect, vision, political values and policies override any consideration of his skin color. But on some level, it would be naive to think that race will not be a factor. I do believe, however, that there is much less racism, sexism and homophobia among the younger generation and that we have come a very long way.

Mario Lopez, who's gone from "Saved by the Bell" to "Dancing to the Stars" to Broadway's "A Chorus Line," was named the new host of the long-running, daily syndicated entertainment magazine program "Extra," it was announced today.

Mario had been co-host of the show's weekend edition as well as a correspondent for the daily program since joining "Extra" in January 2007. as of Sept, 15, ,will take over as the show begins its 15th season.

So, what's gonna happen to current co-hosts Dayna Devon and Mark McGrath?

Here's the spin: Dayna transitions into a "special correspondent role" for the program and will be Mario's back-up anchors. The press release says Mark, still touring and recording with Sugar Ray, is leaving the show "at his request" to refocus on hos music career.

I find this exchange between Republican Presidential candidate John McCain and ABC's George Stephanopolous stunning. McCain's anti-gay adoptions flip-flop does not surprise me but what I find absolutely stunning is how inarticulate he is about it.

Scary.

Rick Springfield has a new album coming out Tuesday, the same day he will perform his single "Victoria's Secret" on an episode of "General Hospital."
No, it isn't 1982, when he was playing Dr. Noah Drake on the ABC soap at the same time that he had a thriving career as a Grammy winning pop star with 17 top-40 hits, including "Jessie's Girl," "I've Done Everything For You" and "Don't Talk to Strangers."

Fast-forward more than 25 years and Rick, who still drops by to play Noah on occasion, will appear on the soap this week as rocker Eli Love.

"The good thing is they brought in a different character and he gets to do my new single, which I'm really happy about," Rick said last week. "Any time you can get on TV with a new song is great."

So why didn't he ever sing on the show during the height of his fame?

"I never thought that was plausible," he said. "He's a doctor. Of course, they wanted me to do it in the '80s. I said no. There was radio play and you didn't need to. Plus I was fighting everyone thinking I was a soap star who wandered into the recording studio. Now I've been around long enough where it makes sense."

The truth is, by the time Rick got really famous on "General Hospital," he had already released six albums with his first hit single, "Speak to the Sky," which made the charts way back in 1972.

At the peak of his fame, Rick's hit albums included "Working Class Dog," "Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet," "Living in Oz" and "Hard to Hold," which was also the title of his motion picture debut.

"I loved it. It was great," he said of those heady days of '80s stardom. "There was a tough side to it as well, but I love to work."

Even when his recording and acting careers have been on the wane, Rick has never really stopped recording and touring.

Now he is especially excited about his first studio album in four years, "Venus In Overdrive," which is being favorably compared to his classic "Working Class Dog" album from the early '80s.

"There's a really good buzz on this one which you can't manufacture," he said. "There's been some stuff falling into place so it has a special feel to it. Where it goes from there, I have no idea. This feels very, very different to me. It doesn't feel like I'm pushing against the door."

I mention to Rick that I saw him in concert at the Orange County Fair about 10 years ago. Even though we didn't meet, he did walk across some chairs near me when he made his way into the audience.

He laughed.

"I love playing live," he said. "It's the way I connect with people. I'm a pretty quiet person in my family life. The party guy only comes out when I play live. He's anxious to come out."

He turns 59 next month but remains remarkably youthful and energetic.

"I'm very much into health," he said. "I like to eat well; I have always worked out. But it's mainly being passionate about what you do. The energy of the audience is really what keeps me playing. It's as much of a high as it ever was. The fans have hung in there."

Here is a clip of Rick in concert from late last year:

I officially started "vacation" on Friday so this week, I will be blogging when I can but there will be plenty of fresh content each day because I have many interviews that I did with all kinds of interesting people that I never got around to writing up. The first of which is with Bryan Batt, the openly gay actor of stage and screen who plays Salvatore Romano on AMC's acclaimed series "Mad Men" which had its second season premiere last night.

Bryan, 45, is known mostly for his theater work including leading roles in "Sunset Boulevard," "La Cage aux Folles" and the stage adaptation of "Saturday Night Fever." His best-known movie role was in the movie version of "Jeffrey."

Bryan and I talked last February at the Screen Actors Guild Awards! Here is out chat, at last:

Q. You're a stage star so how is it to be here amid all this hubbub for a television show?
A. "Listen, I'm a tired old Broadway troll. This is fantastic." (laughs). "More people saw me in one episode of this TV series than in my entire Broadway career. It's mind-blowing."

Q. Are you happy with how your character has been written?
A. "Every week we never know where they're going to take us. and every week (the writers) top themselves. At the table reads, we are astounded. So, wherever they want to go, I will follow."

Q. Is your character gay?
A. "We don't knpow yet but I have a feeling it's crossed his mind before. You have to keep in mind that it's 1960 in our show so he has a lot of issues. ... He's very, very tight and pent-up. He's an artistic director, however, it's a very sublte role to play and it's heaven."

Q. You have one season under your belt. What has it been like?
A. "It's amazing. It's such a thrilling experience. We knew when we filmed the pilot we had something special. The cast is amazing. Jon Hamm is such a strong actor and also a nice guy. It's such an incredible cast. It's the first series for AMC, that they have produced, and it's gotten such great notice. We could not be happier."

This would be so absolutely cool: EW.com is reporting exclusively that Rosie O'Donnell is in talks with NBC to return to television with her own weekly primetime variety show.

Let's hope these talks don't blow up the way Rosie's talks with MSNBC did last year when she was oh-so-close to signing a deal for a nightly show. This sounds like a better fit anyway for Rosie.

NBC, which seems really bone-headed for pushing Jay Leno out of the nightly 11:35 p.m. slot next year, is said to be courting Leno for a similar gig but there is a strong possiblity that Jay will defect to ABC.

EW adds that CBS is also interested in Rosie. However this shakes out, it would be great to have Rosie back on TV without having to share a screen with the insufferable, untalented and not-very-interesting Elisabeth Hasslebeck with whom she so memorably clashed on "The View.:

What's really interesting about Matthew Montgomery's film career so far is that while his most significant leading roles have been gay men, they have been in various genres ranging from romantic comedy to drama to sci-fi. We talked about some of his best films in part two of our interview. Click HERE to read part one. But first, Matthew tells me about his inspiration for gay roles: Not long after "Gone But Not Forgotten was released, he started getting fan mail: "I got this letter from this kid one that that said that he really liked the movie and that it made him confident and gave him the courage to come out to his family and accept who he was. Man, are like you kidding? To have that kind of effect on somebody, It was when I got that first email - and subsequently I've gotten many, I have a purpose now. It's more than about me and how many movies I can do what character I can play. It's also about having a voice and standing up for something important and being a part of helping us move forward and integrating us into society... The younger gay generation looks us to up with respect and see that they can be open about who they are and that they can have aspirations and dreams and not have to mask who they are in order to succeed in the world."

Long-Term Relationship: "I loved it and thought it was very funny, the characters very rich. I felt very strongly about the script." The film also marked Matthew's debut as a producer with Guest House Films: "I don't claim to be an expert in the industry but as an actor, when you're on enough sets, you pick up on things and you do know how to run the show and you do know how to put the pieces together. It's all up there in your head. You just have to access it and that's what happened. ... It aso helps me to be very realistic about how it happens. I don't have any illusion of the glamour, I get my hands dirty getting in it and making it work, making it happen. It's a lot of hard work but it's well worth it."

"Gone, But Not Forgotten" "It's about this guy with amnesia who is found in the woods sort of wandering around when he's rescued by a ranger in the area. He has no recollection of his past. The movie is about him trying to recapture whatever his history is. At the start of the movie he doesn't even know what his name is. It's about him rediscovering who he is, where he came from and what that means. And in the meantime he stays with this ranger and, of course they fall in love. For as low budget and low production values as it is, it's surprisingly stayed as one of the top 10 gay movies of all time which is shocking to me."

"Back Soon" "Both characters are supposedly straight and I took it with that approach anyway, I thought it was more interesting. They had never had wanted to have that kind of experience before with another guy. In the end, it's because you realize - and this is a spoiler - it's because my character is being possessed, so to speak, by the character of his dead wife."

Socket: I jumped in head first. I love sci-fi so the idea to combine the two genres of science fiction and gay was, I thought, a great opportunity. The thing I liked about "Socket" is I don't feel that it tries to be more than it really is. You can look at it and sort of interpret it as sort of these underlying elements of drug addiction in the gay world or addiction with relationships. But really on the surface it's just a really cool, creepy, cringe-worthy science fiction movie with gay elements that's a lot of fun. I really loved that we are sort of moving past the typical gay story of coming out. There's still definitely a place for that and I hope those stories continue to be told but it was nice to be a part of something different that was part of a very specific genre.

Pornography: A Thriller: (The film is in post-production and will most likely be released in the first quarter next year.) "This one's really trippy on a psychological basis. It's very non-linear. It;s based on this fictional legend of this former gay porn star who supposedly died in a snuff film. The character that I play is a writer who reviews gay pornography and he comes across footage that could potentially be the actual snuff film that this guy died in. It's really sort of (expletive) with your mind and makes you question what's real and what isn't and who's real and who isn't. I don't think there's anything out there that's ever been done like this. "

On nude scenes: "I'm still not comfortable with it. I'm very sefl conscious about my body so it's very strange to me. the thing thast I;ve been lucky with ius where every movie that I've done where they've asked me to be nude and I've agreed to it, the direvtor and actors i;ve wolrked with have been so considerate and sensitive., always checking my pulse to make sure that I'm ok. there;s been a lkot of talking and pre-planning before we get onto the set so that we do know what we're duty. It's not as sexy as people think. It's very robotic and mechanical. Move here, turn your butt cheek there. It's the very opppsite of romantic or hot - for us anyway. I've done so much nudity is my moveis that when I don't, sometimes I get letters from people who say, 'Why didn't you take your clothes off. I'm like, Are you kidding me? I just don't even respond to those kinds of emails. I didn't really think much about the nudity at the beginning.l If it was there, it was there. Now I think about it a lot more."

The future: Matthew has written his first screenplay about "Stick Figures" about a self-absorbed gay man who is battling through alcoholism who gioes back to his hometown and fins out he has inherited a little girl - his daughter. It's about someone learning how to be a parent."

To learn even more about Matthew, click HERE to get to his web site.

Rafael Nadal put an explanation point on the fact that he is indeed the best tennis player in the world right now by winning his fifth strraight tournament and 29th consecutive match on Siunday at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

Rafael is still ranked number 2 behind Roger Federer but after winning two straight tournaments on clay then two on grass and now one of hard court - and winning seven titles overall in 2008, he is no doubt the best.

It's thrilling to watch a player reach their full potential right before our eyes and even more thrilling when he does it by knocking out the champ. Federer will have to improve from what had seemed to be an unreachable level if he is to catch Rafa again.

It's pretty amazing how certain superstars can make time stand still. You watch them sing one of their big hits and it sounds just like 30 years ago and you look at them, and they don't look so different from 30 years ago.

That was the case several times on Friday night when I was watching Diana Ross in concert at Hollywood Bowl. At 64, this is a superstar of 45 years or so and it is astonishing to watch her still sound and look so amazingly good. I also looked out at the near sell-out crowd and wondered how many performers could draw this kind of cross-section of people, of generations. The gays, the straights, the young, the old and everything in between.

The gays lke me got a real treat when she kicked things off with "I'm Coming Out" just as she did the first time I saw her live - in 1989 during the "Working Overtime" tour. Then she launched into five consecutive Supremes songs: "My World Is Empty without You," "Where Did Our Love Go?," "Baby Love," "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "You Can't Hurry Love."

She sounded great but it made me wish that she and Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong could put it all behind them and do some reunion dates. They all still look terrific and it would be historic.

Anyway, Diana did most of her solo big hits from the 70s and 80s including "Touch Me in the Morning," Theme from Mahogany," "Love Hangover," "Upside Down," "The Boss," "Why do Fools Fall In Love," "Ease on Down the Road," her remake of "I Love You More Today" from her latest album, and, of course, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."

She also did a trio of jazz songs, some of which were from "Lady Sings the Blues" and the real highlight was "Don't Explain" which was glorious. The night seemed to come to an abrupt end due to the Bowl's noise ordinance so Diana squeezed in part of her 1996 remake of "I Will Survive" before leaving the stage and coming back for a nice bow.

She didn't get to all her hits - I think that would be impossible at this point anyway - but it would have been nice to hear "It's My Turn," "Chain Reaction," "Endless Love," "Home," "Missing You," and "Reach Out and Touch." And then there are so many Supremes hits too like "You Just Keep Me Hanging On," "I Hear Symphony," "Reflections," "Love Child," "Someday We'll Be Together" and on, and on, and on.

But, on Friday night, I was happy to get what I got!

Mario Lopez is all smiles here as he is being inducted onto the Wall of Fame at Tony's Di Napoli Restaurant in Times Square. Mario's stint on "A Chorus Line" ends soon but it has been eventful. Among the most amusing news has had to do with his equally buff co-star Nick Adams whose guns Mario allegedly wanted covered up while he was next to him on stage. But they look chummy in the photo below.

I'm so glad to read the various glowing reviews for Margot Kidder in the current "Donald Stachey Mysteries" film "On the Other Hand, Death." In an interview on Advocate.com, Margot gives her thoughts on co-star Chad Allen and gay actors in general:

Q. Speaking as an actress whose Hollywood career blossomed in the early 1970s, what was it like to work on Death with openly gay actors like Chad Allen?
A. Well, I don't think Chad would've worked much in those days, and he's such a wonderful actor and a wonderful person. But I know from my own manic depression that the weight and the stress and the pressure of not being who you are drives you mad. It's a horrible thing to live with, especially if you become someone who's in the public eye, and you're trying to hide your essence under some persona. It's just a personal nightmare and not something I would recommend to anybody. There's something so great about being so utterly exposed that you have nothing left to lose. You get to wear the insides of your psyche on the outside of your skin without having to have a lot of defenses protecting it. The business, in terms of the big studios, hasn't completely switched yet. They still cast straight men in gay roles, but they don't cast that many overtly gay men in straight roles. There's something really wrong with this picture. I don't know why they continually cast straight men in gay roles, and then the straight men get nominated for Oscars as if playing someone who's sexuality happens to be gay is a big leap. So when you asked me if I researched being gay? No. What's to research?

Congratulations to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. The handsome gay marriage proponent tied the knot with actress/producer Jennifer Siebel on Saturday night. She has a recurring role on the NBC series "Life"

People.com reports that the guests at the wedding included Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, former eBay president Jeff Skoll, Sex and the City star Jason Lewis and Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

No, that's not Popeye! It's Rafael Nadal who is blistering through the draw at the men's pro tournament in Toronto. With Roger Federer in some kind of free-fall right now (he lost his first match in Canada), Nadal is poised to take over the number one ranking sometime later tis summer. He's been number two in the world for more than 150 consecutive weeks - a record - while Federer had been number one for a longer stretch than any one else in history: since February 2004.

It's been more than a decade since I've seen Diana Ross in concert so I'm really looking forward to tonight's concert - the first night of a two-day engagement at Hollywood Bowl. To get in the mood, I'm posting a few of her songs that I love hearing in concert (this will be my fourth time seeing Diana live). It includes "Chain Reaction" which she used to open her show with and is one of my faves.

"The Best Years of My Life" is a song I really like because Diana dedicates it to her fans and it seems to express how a superstar of more than 40 years would feel about that connection to the audience.

...and finally, here is Diana singing "More Today Than Yesterday" from her most recent album "I Love You," her biggest hit in many years.

One more! Forgot to put a Supremes song in there. Here is Diana singing "Baby Love."
.

When Neil Patrick Harris greeted the ladies of "The View" on the show this morning, he gave Whoopi Goldberg and extra loooooong hug.

Then he explained why: "Whoopi popped my theatrical cherry," he explained, referring to their 1988 film "Clara's Heart."

Whoopi made the movie after she was nominated for an Oscar for "The Color Purple" but before she won for 'Ghost." NPH had not yet begun his run on "Doogie Howser M.D."

"Whoopi showed me how to hit a mark and what the camera was like. 'You really were an exemplarary role model,' he said to her.

She musta been. Look how extraordinary NPH turned out!

You know, I don't if I mind whether or not Luke and Noah ever have sex as much as the fact that I find myself getting hooked on the rest of the storylines on "As the World Turns" instead of just watching the scenes involving the gay lovebirds. I just don't have time for this!

Anyway, Thursday's episode has Luke in a funk because his dad, Holden, is cheatng on his mom, Lily, with a woman named Carly. Clueless Noah - the same guy who was gonna join the Army a few weeks ago - bounds down the stairs looking for his shoes and wonders what's wrong with Luke.

Luke talks about his parents and wonders about his dad and love: "If he's willing to give up my mother, then what chance do the rest of us even have? Why even try?"

Cluless Noah: "You don't think we're ,meant to last?
Luke: Do you?
Clueless Noah: Yes.
Luke: We're basically glorified roommates. We've been here in this house, alone, All day, and nothing.
Clueless Noah brings up Luke';s grandmother's rules of no sex between unmarried people living under her roof - gay or straight.

Luke responds: "That's lame.. One of us has to say it. There's nothing stopping us from having sex. So why aren't we?"

Clueless Noah insists that he wants to be with Luke too but he wants it to be special and blah, blah, blah.,

I love this remark from Luke: "You didn't seem to have this problem with Maddie."

Noah replies: "Maddie was different. She's not my happy ending."

"I don't want it to be because we have the house to ourselves for a half hour..." he adds. "You and I are going to be together for a very, very long time."

Then...they kiss! It;s not a great one. But, at least they had lip lock.,

All I have to say is that sometimes you put up with clueless and confused dudes like Noah because the sex is great. But NO SEX? Please. And it is entirely unrealistic that two guys in their late teens, in love with each other, would not be doing it every chance they get. C'mon!

Making matters worse is that some 14-year-old girl on the show got condoms and birth control pills in the same episode! No build up, no hemming and gawing about it being special etc. She just hopped into bed with this young dude who looks maybe 12.

What a screwed up show!

Alfre Woodard is set to play a very different kind of character - for her - on the new NBC series "My Own Worst Enemy" set to debut in October.

She plays the handler of a man played by Christian Slater who has two personalities: a mild-mannered family man and a cold blooded secret agent. The twist is that the family man doesn't know the other personality exists.

This is how Alfre described it as she slipped into character at last week's Television Critics Associaton Summer Press Tour sesson: "What we actually do is we manifest a divergent identity dormant in a sealed-off portion of the medial temporal lobe."

Fortunately, when we spoke earlier, the conversation was a lot easier to follow!

"It's said of me that I'm the lady decides who lives and dies," she said of her character, Mavis Heller. "I've obviously been an agent in the field before and I got promoted to this position and I am Christian's boss."

The last time Alfre appeared as a regular on a television series, she was the mysterious new neighbor on "Desperate Housewives." But Betty Applewhite had too many secrets to really connect with the other women of Wisteria Lane and Alfre left after one season and an Emmy nomination.

She didn't hesitate to try series TV again.

"I'm not picky, I just make decisions," she explained. "If this had come as a stage play or a miniseries or a movie I would have done it. It happened to be a series. I follow the material."

And there has been some mighty good material over the years including her Oscar-nominated role in "Cross Creek" and the features "Passion Fish" and "Down in the Delta."

She's also earned an astounding 15 Emmy nominations - including four wins - for such films as "Mrs. Evers Boys," "The Piano Lesson," "Gulliver's Travels" and "The Water is Wide." She was nominated again earlier this month for her performance in "Pictures of Hollis Woods."

With such a stellar resume, I wondered if the 55-year-old Alfre is constantly flooded with scripts after all these years.

"I sort of got into this intending to go the long haul So I've always made my decisions based on not only what interests me, but with an eye out for longevity," she said. "So I've never been flooded but I've always consistently had offers."
So what makes her say "yes" to a project?

"I've always said I wouldn't do anything that I wouldn't go to see so that kind of knocks out a lot," she said. "Work is hard and you leave your family for it sometimes. So when I look something and I feel like it's something I can do and I thought of something that probably no one's going to think of to bring to that, then I'll go to work."

Alfre can disappear into a role but she also cuts a very glamorous figure on red carpets. But as someone who still considers herself more of a working actress than a star, she doesn't take that part very seriously.

"Any time you're not at work, it's sort of make-believe," she said. "Work is real, even though you're pretending to be a person. All the rest is frivolity and frivolity is always fun but at the end of the day, I don't feel that anything I do outside of my set is going to make a difference in the world. So I take it like fun. When it's not fun, you go home."

...and what a nice thigh it is!

Matthew Montgomery kept unexpectedly coming back into my life long before I even met him.

More than a year ago, I watched a screener of the drama "Back Soon" as part of my Outfest preparation. Then a few months back, I rented a bunch of movies one night and two of them - coincidentally - happened to star Matthew: "Long-Term Relationship" and "Socket."

So when the opportunity arose recently to interview Matthew, I jumped at the chance. We met at Insomnia Cafe in LA for a morning chat. At 30, he is one of the more thoughtful, articulate and prolific gay actors in the movie business - and one of the most talented. Our conversation was so rich that I am presenting this profile in two parts with the second part to run Sunday.

Matthew looked awfully cute as he ate a giant chocolate muffin during the first part of our intervew. As he licked the chocolate off his fingers, I wondered if this had always been his plan to focus on gay roles in film.

"It was totally by accident," he said. "I came to Los Angeles wanting to be the next big thing, hit some big Hoillywood movie. But I wasn't working. There's a lot of actors here and it's tough to get work in this town, The first film I was cast in was a gay independent film called "Gone But Not Forgotten." It was a gay character so obviously there was something about that that was very personal to me and meant something to me on a deeper level. So I took it. Then, what I found out was I could build a career in this smaller industry and sort of get my footing there, And now, here I am. I've just sort of been working one movie after the other."

Matthew has completed a trio films that are in the post-production stage: "Pornography: A Thriller," "The Dark Side of Love" and "Redwoods."

He knows that by playing mostly gay parts, he is taking a road less traveled than most actors.

"A lot of actors come into this industry and they do a gay film here or there and either they themselves or through the advice of other people, decide that they don't want to continue playing other gay characters because they're afraid of being typecast. I felt the complete opposite," he said. "I felt a huge sense of loyalty to these filmmakers and to the viewers watching these movies. If I spent the rest of my life only doing movies in the independent film industry, at least it's part of something that's progressive and part of something that's at the frontier of movement and change."

"It was never my plan to stay in or leave the gay independent film industry," he added. "It was just omething that kind of happened. But I kept working and what started to happen is it started to open other doors for me in general."

Born in Houston and raised Corpus Christi, Matthew thought his television was filled with tiny people and he wpndered how he could get into the set. It was then that his artist father explained to him what acting was.

"I never wanted to do anything else," he said. "I've always known I would move either here or to New York and pursue that. I auditioned for Julliard when I was 18 and didn't get in so I moved here.'
After high school where had one of the leads in "Annie Get Your Gun." he went to study theatre at USC and landed roles in many mainstage productions. He left after a few years "to find myself" then went on to study on a scholarship at Point Park Conservatory in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and was cast in his first short film.

He then returned to Los Angeles, this time, to pursue acting full time - but not necessarily as an out actor.

"I have to confess, in the very beginning, I had no intention of being an out actor, no intention of being open about that," he said. "I figured I'd spend my whole life not talking about it or keeping it hidden."

I interject and remark: "You were going to be like Raymond Burr weren't you?" (Burr was the famously closeted star of TV's "Perry Mason" franchise).

Matthew chuckled then asked, "Who?"

We laugh. I feel old and ask him to continue.

"That was my intention. That was sort of what was expected. If you came out of the closet you didn't have a career. But things have changed and things have moved forward and we've progressed. We're growing as a society and we're integrating. and I think that's a very important. The only way that that's happened us because people have the coiurage to say who they are and to stand up for what they believe in. I decided early on that I wanted to be one of those people that was at the forefront of this change. I wanted to be one of those people that stood up for that."

Coming In part 2 on Sunday: Matthew talks about his films, about producing and about doing nude scenes.
;
Here are some highlights of Matthew's work:

To learn even more about Matthew, click HERE to get to his web site.

The out director of the upcoming movie "Milk" as well as such movies as "My Private Idaho," "To Die For," "Good Will Hunting," "Last Days" and "Elephant" turned 56 today!

No one has ever accused "Big Brother" houseguests of taking the high road! Steven, the only openly gay person in the not-very-diverse house, was unanimously voted off (9-0) on Wednesday and in his parting comments just said what was on his mind: "Suck it bitches!"

...again, Chris does such a good job with this interview...

The last time I saw Cristian de la Fuente was on "Dancing With the Stars" which he continued to compete in - and reached the finals - after injuring a tendon in his left arm while performing the samba.

Earlier this week, Cristian looked good as new when we chatted at a garden party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
"My arm is almost back to normal and I start physical therapy next week," he said.
But the extremely fit 34-year-old actor, who currently has a role on the new USA Network drama "In Plain Sight", is still recovering from the grueling training that was required to do well on the show.

"It was crazy from the work point of view," he said. "I've never worked that much in my life not having one day off for three months."

Even though he did not win, he found out how much the show did for his profile after returning to the U.S. after trips to Chile and to Mexico.

"When I was coming through immigration, officers were nicer," he said. "They didn't ask me what it was that I did for a living. They said, 'Oh, I saw you on 'Dancing With the Stars' so, you know, that's priceless for me. I go in and out of this country many times a year - probably 15 or 20 times - and to be treated by immigration officers nicely, you see that 'Dancing With the Stars' is a powerful show."

Christian told me on Sunday that "Sight" had been renewed for a second season earlier that day and he was hopeful that his character of Raphael Ramirez would also return.
"There's a lot more story to develop," he said. "It's a great show and it's doing really well. People are liking the show. I'm very happy for that because we put a lot of work and effort into doing the show and we have a lot of fun."

Cristian, married to actress Angelica Castro and father of a young daughter, acts in television shows and movies in both English and Spanish.

His previous U.S. series was far different from "Sight." He played a gay man on the CBS comedy "The Class."

"It was fun, it was a great experience for me," he said. "The show was so funny, it was so well-written and I love to do comedy. If you see 'In Plain Sight,' there's a lot of comedy in that drama. Life itself is a drama, but there's always comedy."

Since he and Sean Maguire made such a cute couple, I wanted to know why he disappear from "The Class" mid-season?

"I went to do a pilot for ABC." he said. "What also they did was after that, they narrowed it down with less stories. At the beginning there were many, many stories and then they started cutting a little bit."

I'll say. They kept cutting until finally they just cancelled the whole damned show!

This is a terrific picture of Barack Obama in the plane flying somewhere during his current trip overseas. What makes it special to me is that one of my best friends is in it! He's Michael Finnegan who's covering the trip for the Los Angeles Times. Michael is sitting to Obama's right in this picture, holding up that little recorder. Michael and I will both be in Denver next month covering the Democratic National Convention for our respective news organizations.

Oh no! That Wimbledon loss a few weeks ago musta really taken a lot out of Roger Federer. How else can you explain his loss on Wednesday to Gilles Simon, of France, in the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Toronto. Simon won 2-6, 7-5, 6-4.

The only way for him to salvage what has, for him, been a subpar year, is to win the Olympic Games next month and/or the US Open in September.

I'm not insulting your intelligence. I know that you know damned well who the fabulous Jane Lynch is. She's the subject of my Daily News column today which is written for more of a mainstream audience than Out In Hollywood. I don't want to write an entirely different version for the blog so I'm writing this note. OK, here it is:

Chances are, you've seen plenty of Jane Lynch movies.

The name doesn't ring a bell?

Okay, think of the personal dog handler in the mockumentary "Best In Show," or Steve Carell's horny boss in "The 40 Year Old Virgin," or Will Ferrell's mom in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

Believe it or not, it's all the same actress who appears in so many movies and television shows that she's got to be in the running for the title of hardest working woman in showbiz.

"I do it all, I very rarely say no and I just love to work. If they keep asking me, I'll keep showing up," Jane said when we spoke recently. "I'm just riding a wave that I'm really thrilled with and that I'm extremely grateful for. I'm really happy. I'm on top of the world."
If you ask Jane, who turned 48 earlier this month, what projects she has coming out next, expect a long answer!

"I have a movie called "The Rocker" with Rainn Wilson coming out in August and a movie called "Another Cinderella Story" with Selena Gomez where I play the wicked stepmother," she began. "And a movie called "Post-Graduate Survival Guide" and a movie called "Little Big Men" with Paul Rudd. And also, I did a film with Meryl Streep just recently called "Julie/Julia" about Julia Child. It was a magic time for me. To lock eyes with the great Meryl Streep and be her sister, it was amazing."
I wondered how Jane can possibly tackle such a wide variety of roles. She made it sound like a snap: "They're all different people and you just hook into something a little different inside of you and you make some physical choices and you've got a completely different person."

Jane had an extensive theater background and had done scores of smaller parts in movies and television before her career took off in "Best In Show."

That career momentum was not at all deterred when Jane appeared on the cover of The Advocate a few years ago and discussed her life as a lesbian.

"I'm happy to report that for me, it doesn't seem to effect anything," she said of her sexuality. "If I've lost something or have not been considered for something, it's been behind my back and I don't know about it. But you know what else? I'm a character actor. If I were an ingenue, or a love interest type of character, it might make a difference."

Online extra:
Jane appeared at the end of this week's Outfest Closing Night feature "Tru Loved" as a pal of Alec Mapa's character.

"I'm in it for a nanosecond but I'm very proud to be in it or that nanosecond because it tells a story that hasn't been told before believe it or not. It's about a girl being brought up by two moms who's trying to fit to a pretty conservative school and society and through the openness of her heart and her charm, she brings people over to her. It's really a lovely story. It's good for kids to see."

I'm not gonna lie, I had watched "The Today Show" since Jane Pauley co-hosted it with Tom Brokaw! But lately, I've switched over to "Good Morning America" because I cannot get enough of hottie news anchor Chris Cuomo. He not only looks like a million bucks, he just has such a nice way about him...Here is this morning's exclusive interview with George Michael. Chris handles such topics as George getting arrested for cruising for sex in a public restroom and losing a lover to AIDS without a single sign of discomfort. Can you imagine Charlie Gibson doing this interview?

I'm happy for Thomas Beatie and his wife on the birth of their baby girl. The reason I have not written much about this is because I've had such mixed feelings about them going public on "Oprah" when Thomas was pregnant.

I just felt like while they have the right to do what they damned well please as far as having a baby, all of the publicity really seemed to be a slap in the face to the transgendered people who fight every day to be accepted as a member of the gender they have transitioned to.

But, the publicity tour continues with the first pictures of baby girl Susan Julliette in People Magazine. He told People that he was in labor for 40 hours and gave birth naturally. (He kept his female reproduction organs, obviously). Susan weighed in at 9 lbs., 5 oz. His wife, Nancy Thomas, is breastfeeding the baby through induced lactation because Thomas has resumed "the traditional role of a father," according to the GMA piece.

So, if you've seen "The Dark Knight" and "Mamma Mia" already and want to see something with subtitles this weekend, let me suggest "No Regrets."

Here's a synopsis: Set in Seoul, South Korea, the movie centers on Sumin (Lee Young-Hoon), who leaves the orphanage where he grew up and heads to the city to study art design. After losing his job at a factory due to layoffs, he finds himself working as a prostitute in a gay bar. Initially Sumin resists the advances of Jaemin (Lee Han), who comes from a rich and conservative family that doesn't accept his sexual identity. Eventually Sumin succumbs to Jaemin's advances, after they briefly experience happiness as passionate lovers, Sumin and Jaemin's relationship falls into heartache and tragedy.

"No Regret" begins exclusive engagements Friday at the Sunset 5 in West Hollywood and at Cinema Village in New York City. On August 1, it opens at Cinemas Palme d'Or
in Palm Desert, followed by Living Room Theatres in Portland Oregon (Aug. 22) and Landmark Lumiere in San Francisco (Aug. 29).

Here is the trailer:

...are to stare at Jessie's right bicep and Jessie's left bicep! I caught last night's episode (the first I've seen of the show in a year or so I think) and this dude was shirtless the entire time almost. I am not complaining. He seems to be the alpha male of the place who, unfortunately, nominated the only gay guy in the house (Steven) for eviction and he is mighty cute!

I don't wanna get hooked on this stupid show again but I will say that they have two very appealing older contestants - a man and a woman - and it adds nicely to the mix.

Good thing Mr.GuyTVblog, where I got these pics, is following all the action! Check it out!

I featured Christian Slater in my LA Daily News column today so thought I'd share it with those who don't get the paper delivered or go to DailyNews.com very often.

Christian Slater isn't tired of being a movie star or anything. But he jumped at the chance to star in the new television series "My Own Worst Enemy" this fall because it offered double the usual challenges.

"I'm playing essentially two very distinct characters: Henry Spivey and Edward Albright," Christian explained. "Edward knows about Henry. Henry doesn't know about Edward. They both share the same body. They are the same people, but Henry is much more of an Everyman; Edward is an operative. It gives me an opportunity to do an infinite amount of things."

Christian, 38, was among the many stars at this week's "NBC All Star Party" that was part of the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour. His previous TV work had included various guest spots, highlighted by a three-episode arc on "The West Wing."

Mostly, he's been on the big screen since he debuted in "The Legend of Billie Jean" in 1985, then went on to such hits as "Heathers," "True Romance," "Interview With the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles," "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" and "Broken Arrow."

"Whether it was TV, film, stage, it really didn't matter," he said of the new series. "It's a great opportunity to really challenge myself."

Christian, whose various run-ins with the law seem to now be a thing of the past, had just completed filming his first episode of the show when we spoke. Production had wrapped at 4 a.m., but he said he's raring to go on the next one.

"I think it's a great foundation for an interesting future," he said. "There's really interesting characters so I'm very, very excited."

Estelle Getty had been ill for several years before she died Tuesday but that didn't diminish the level of sadness and surprise I've noticed on the Internet, in people I kniow, and from those who worked with her. I think we've all seen those episodes of "The Golden Girls" so many times - and they are so damned enjoyable and comforting - that we feel like we lost our Sicilian grandmother.
"Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry, who was one of the writers on "Golden Girls," said of Estelle: "She always used to be very quick-witted; she could get a punchline out quicker than anybody. That's a rare talent, and she was kind of amazing, and I'm going to miss her terribly."

"She was the least actressy of anyone in the cast," he told ET.com. "She was just happy to be there. She was very grateful for what she had gotten so late in her life. In my mind she will always be everyone's grandma."

Bea Arthur, who played her television daughter, Dorothy: "Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her."

Betty White who played Rose: "The only comfort at this moment is, that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us."

Rue McClanahan who played Blanche:: "Estelle always wanted to be an actress, and she achieved that goal beyond her dreams. Don't feel sad about her passing - she will always be with us in her crowning achievement - Sophia. I love you, Slats - Rue." (Slats was a nickname Rue had for Estelle.)

Here is a video I found on YouTube of some of Estelle's best first season moments as Sophia:

Reader Brian H. sent me this DNA cover featuring "Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds" heartthrob Marco Dapper.

Marco, who turned 25 on July 9, will not be in "Eating Out 3." That could be because he's finding other gigs. He was cast as "super hot guy" in a 2007 episode of "Veronica Mars" and played Ryan Casdale in two episodes of the first season of ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money."

I was very excited to get a press release from Fox Searchlight Pictures yesterday announcing that it woild be distributing the romantic comedy "My Life In Ruins" starring Nia Vardalos sometime next year.

Nia, such a sensation in the surprise blockbuster hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," has only starred in one film - the comedy "Connie & Carla" - since the spectacular 2002 run of "Wedding.".

"I am thrilled!" Nia said in a statement. "Working with Fox Searchlight is the perfect marriage."

Here's the plot: Georgia (Nia Vardalos) has lost her kefi (Greek for "mojo"). Discouraged by her lack of direction in life, she works as a travel guide, leading a rag-tag group of tourists as she tries to show them the beauty of her native Greece. While opening their eyes to an exotic foreign land, she too begins to see things in new ways--finding her kefi in the process.

The film also stars Richard Dreyfuss, Harland Williams and Rachel Dratch.

This is beyond bizarre.

Sky News and the Associated Press are reporting that "The Dark Knight" star Christian Bale has been arrested and accused of assaulting his mother and sister. The alleged assault happened at a London hotel on Sunday, the day before the European premiere of "Knight."

UPDATE: Christian Bale on Tuesday denied allegations of assault made by his mother and sister, hours after the star of "The Dark Knight" was arrested, questioned by London police and released, according to the Associated Press.

He spent four hours at a police station, but was not charged and was released on bail. British media reported that Bale's mother and sister complained he had assaulted them at the Dorchester Hotel in London on Sunday night, a day before the European premiere of "The Dark Knight."

Bale's London-based law firm, Schillings said Bale, issued a statement denying that an assault took place: "Christian Bale attended a London police station today on a voluntary basis," the statement read. "Bale, who denies the allegation, cooperated throughout, gave his account in full of the events in question, and has left the station without any charge being made against him by the police."

This is madness! The studio must be having a heart attack over the timing of all of this:
Christian was hours late to his scheduled interviews today in London, according to ET.com. The entire cast of 'The Dark Knight' is scheduled to be in Barcelona, Spain on Wednesday for a premiere, followed by the Japanese premiere on July 28.

Stay tuned to your bat channel!

Our Sophia is gone.

Estelle Getty, who starred on "The Golden Girls" for seven glorious seasons, died this morning, three days before her 85th birthday. She had not been in the public eye for several years as her dementia worsened.

She was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actress during every season of the show (winning in 1988) as Bea Arthur's wisecracking Italian octogenarian mother who had a story for just about everything which began with the Sophia Petrillo catchphrase: "Picture it..."

Ironically, Estelle was one year younger than Arthur but a grey wig helped to create the mother-daughter illusion.
She got her start in the Yiddish theater and her most important early role was playing Harvey Fierstein's mother on Broadway in the play "Torch Song Trilogy."

Estelle was married to Arthur Gettleman (from whose name she adapted her stage name) from 1946 until his death in 2004 and has two grown sons: According to Wikepedia, during the run of "Golden Girls," her 29-year-old nephew was dying of AIDS and there was no one to care for him, she had him flown from North Carolina to California. He died in January 1992.

We'll miss Estelle but we'll always have her Sophia in reruns and on DVD!

Here's a clip from the show:

It's always a good day when I have new Robby Ginepri pics to share! The hunky American tennis star won a tough three=set match Tuesday at the Rogers Cup tournament in Toronto.

Regarded as one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation, Rufus Wainwright turns 35 today.

I met Rufus in April at the GLAAD Media Awards where he was being honored and he told me he has "always made a real effort to be completely honest about who I am and to sing about boys and about my life as a homosexual so it's the right match."

Then he gave this really amazing acceptance speech: "An artist's decision to live an authentic life should go hand-in-hand with success. The more honest you are and more willing to share, the more gratifying it will be for your audience."

He also touched on something else that isn't talked about too much about so many of us gay people: "We have to work so hard to be so brilliant and be so fabulous all the time, we often forget that we are damaged and we are hurt. To allow gay people to think everything is fine - it's not."

Minnie Driver called to chat last week about her emotional new movie, "The Take," out on Friday.

But first I mention to her that at the Television Critics Association Press Tour earlier that day, I heard FX brass say they were not sure if a third season of her acclaimed series "The Riches" would be happening.

Since she is due to give birth to her first child late next month, I asked if she was disappointed that the show might not return.

I struck a nerve.

"Hell yeah!" Minnie said. "I can't understand how something as critically acclaimed as our show, nominated for an Emmy, I don't understand why they didn't pick up the (second half) of our season, why we aren't getting the chance to do the show. I really think `The Riches' is one of the best pieces of TV out there. I'm pissed."

On "The Riches," Minnie stars alongside Eddie Izzard. They are con artists and thieves traveling with their their three children and are involved in a car accident that kills a very wealthy couple, the Riches. They adopt their identity in an affluent gated community in Baton Rouge.

Minnie, 38, was nominated for an Emmy last year and a Golden Globe Award this year for her performance on "The Riches." It was the first television work she had done since a series of hilarious guest spots on "Will & Grace" as the nemesis of Karen Walker, played by Megan Mullally.

If her show does not return, Minnie said she will just keep making movies. And she's made some good ones including the star-making performance in "A Circle of Friends," an Oscar-nominated role in "Good Will Hunting," and parts in other films including "Grosse Point Blank," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Ella Enchanted," "Seven" and "The Governess."

She's very high on her latest, "The Take," about the mother of a crime victim who years later comes to terms with the perpetrator.

"It was an amazing role," she said. "For actresses, they are few and far between - the great dramatic roles for women. You find them in unlikely places. It was such an amazing acting challenge. The idea of restorative justice is something that will become more prevalent in our society. I think it's good."
She knows it's tough to get bodies into the theater for a smaller film like hers when movies like "The Dark Knight" are setting box office records. But she thinks there is room for all kinds of films and tastes.

"I think anyone who is interested in going on an emotional journey as opposed to having an emotional journey thrust upon them and looking at moral questions like, `How do you forgive someone who has done something heinous to your family?"'

Besides acting, singing is what has sustained Minnie creatively.

Her first two albums, "Everything I've Got in My Pocket" and "Seastories," were well-received and she plans to do more.

"I think it's getting easy for me because I've put two records out that were critically well-received," she said. "It is difficult for actors to put music out, but mostly because actors put out crap records. I feel like I've proven myself with every record. I'll keep doing the records and keep touring. It's the very real me, an absolute labor of love. I love it."

Well, at least Instinct magazine isn't afraid to point out what seems to have been a lack of diversity. It announced Monday that its August cover features Asian-American fitness trainer Mike Donavanik He's the first man from this ethnic group to grace the cover in the magazine's 11 year history.

In the article, he shares this anecdote: '[During a taping of Kathy Griffin's My Life On The D-List in Bora Bora,] we decided to play truth or dare, She yelled out, 'Ten naked push-ups!' so I stripped down and did 10 naked push-ups in front of the group."

Okay, so,it ain't Newsweek, it's still fun.

here! Films, the theatrical distribution and worldwide sales division of here! Networks, announced Monday that it has acquired North American distribution rights to "Tru Loved," the wonderful drama focusing on LGBTQ youth and their families that closed Outfest last night.

Regent executive Mark Reinhart said the film "falls squarely into our company mission by offering us an opportunity to showcase emerging talent while providing entertainment that fosters change and creates understanding around important real-life issues facing LGBTQ youth and their families."

"Tru Loved" was written and directed by Stewart Wade and tells the story of Tru, a sixteen year old uprooted by her lesbian moms from her gay-friendly home in San Francisco and moved to a conservative community in Southern California. Tru's only friend is a closeted football player, and that friendship is jeopardized when she starts the school's first Gay-Straight Alliance.

The film is set to be released in the fall.

There are several good gay reasons to look forward to seeing "The Starter Wife" when it debuts as a regular series on the USA network this fall: Debra Messing who was every gay guy's best friend on "Will & Grace," the fabulous Judy Davis as her best pal, and ... drum roll please ... Chris Diamantopoulos as Rodney, the show's most prominent gay character.

I talked with the 33-year-old actor Sunday night at the NBC All Star Party about his new role, his first series since the Lifetime show "State of Mind." He also plaued Robin Williams in the made-for-television movie, "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Mork & Mindy" abd has appeared on Broadway in lead roles in "The Full Monty" and "Les Miserables."

Since he plays a gay man who is best pals with Debra Messing's character, I wondered if he feared any comparisons to Will.

"I tell you, the truth of the matter is, if I would ever be compared to (Will), that would be an honor to me because that was such a success," he said. "Eric McCormack did such a spectacular job, the two of them were so amazing together. I don;t really see any similarities at all. He's a gay character and he is one of her best friends but it pretty much ends there. The show is also so very different that it doesn't lend itself to the same humor."

Chris is happy to be playing a three-dimensional gay man on "Wife" which is which is why he's why he was happy to reprise his role which he originated in the six-hour "Starter Wife" miniseries last year.
"What I love is that they've written this guy as a man. A gay man, but as a man. As a strong person, as person with extremely high morale values," he said. "Gay happens to be one color of the rainbow if you'll pardon the pun. Not that his sexuality is overlooked because one of the first things that happens in the season is he gets into a very, very, very exciting, scandalous and elicit affair with a person that is huge in the public eye and it would be potentially very damaging to this person. And they don't pull any punches, they really go there. It's great to see that they're wriitng it realistically. They're writing it from the standpoint of the people that we know."

"The miniseries was a fantastic experience for me. I thought that the writing was spectacular," he added. "They needed to focus on the Molly character and to really create the story around her. It was always intended just to be a miniseries, it was never intended to be a full series. Jumping into it this time around, the first that they are doing is expounding upon the satellite characters and they've really done a good job, a great job actually of making these characters well-rounded individuals and the writing is just spectacular."

So what's it like working with Emmy winners Messing and Davis?

"A dream, dream, dream," he said. "Most of my scenes are with Debra and Judy. Debra specifically sets the tone for how this set works. She's a dream, she's a great person and a great actor. I've never been with a more prepared actor in my life. She knows what;s going on. She;s just also so much fun. We sing, we laugh, we joke around. She's a real, down-to-Earth awesome chick. Judy is a genius. She's spectacular to work with, she's fun to riff off of, she's got a tremendous personality. Listen, as an actor, gay, straight, whatever, it's a dream come true."
Chris has been married to "Ugly Betty" cast member Becki Newton for three years now. When he was doing his most previous series, "State of Mind" on Lifetime, it was shooting in LA as was "Betty." So it made for an ideal domestic situation. But "the Starter Wife" miniseries had been shot in Australia so when it was greenlit as a series, Chris was a bit concerned

"Of course, when I found out that it wasn't shooting in Australia, I thought, 'This is great,now we'll both be in L.A. ...except you'll be in New York."

"Ugly Betty," which shot its first two seasons in Los Angeles, moved to New York this year where its story is set anyway.

"The good news is we have a place, thank God, that we held onto in New York because we come from New York. So we call it the other room theory. When she's in New York she's just in the other room, when I'm in L.A. I'm just in the other room and that's what weekends are for."

After that Wimbledon final for the ages, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are both entered in the men's tournament in Canada - a major warm-up for next month's Olympic Games and the U.S. Open. I'm rooting for Roger to bag some big titles in the second half of the year after losing that heartbreaking Wimbledon final.

Here's the deal, I've been so busy the past week that there have been little odds and ends in the news that I have neglected to post. So I'm combining them and will give you my take,

1. Lance Bass and his new boyfriend. So Lance, no longer "Out of Sync," is dating a married man! Scandal! Except it really isn't. Lance has hooked up with a personal trainer by the name of Sebastian Leal from Brazil. He married a woman nine years ago, they split three years ago and never bothered to get a divorce. Not sure if it was ever true love! His "wife" told Page Six they split due to "irreconcilable differences" but that they "continue to love each other. He was, is and always will be my best friend."
2. Al Reynolds (the former Mr. Star Jones) comes out as NOT gay: In a strange series of interviews released via YouTube, Al declared, among other things: "I am not a homosexual. But the thing is, it's weird to me and really kind of upsetting to me that that's where people would go as it relates to my sexuality, because this has affected my professional life, this has affected my personal life, and if anyone knew the damage it has caused me, they would understand why I'm very aggressive about this."

He can't talk about Star and what went wrong but is sad that they are no longer on speaking terms: "We're cordial. This is a difficult time for her and it's a difficult time for me. Right now, it's a little tender. Our relationship is a little tender, and hopefully over time we can heal that and we can become friends again."

I have two questions about this: Does anyone even care? and When will Al Reynolds 15 minutes of "fame" be over?

3. Rami Kashou was attacked last week at The Abbey in West Holllywood last week. The "Project Runway" finalist from last season is on the mend but was obviously shaken up by the unprokoved assault while he was out to dinner.

According to WeHo News, a man allegedly hit another over the head with a beer bottle, resulting in cuts that required treatment at the hospital. Arrested in the aftermath of the fight was Arturo Perez, 33, of Los Angeles. He was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and held on bond.

Bravo.com reports, however, that Rami is doing just fine although admittedly shaken up.

4. Lindsay Lohan apparently is officially in a lesbian relationship. with Samantha Ronson. The two women aren't saying anything about it but they have taken to being affectionate in public. We've heard some from Lindsay's insufferable family though (I swear, she used to bug me but now that I've seen and heard from her screwy parents, Dina and Michael, I feel so sorry for this kid and wish her well).

"I love Samantha," People quoted Dina Lohan as saying. "She's like a child to me. They're great friends and as long as my daughter is happy and healthy, it is what it is."

I hate to judge but I don't understand how anyone can write a tell-all book about another family member - even if that family member is Madonna. I only give a pass to Christina Crawford who deserved to let Joan Crawford have it after the hell "Mommie Dearest" put her through (I believe every word of Christina's book).

Anyway, The Advocate has just released an excerpt from Christopher Ciccone's book "Life With My Sister Madonna" and discusses the interview Madonna gave with The Advocate in 1991 in which he says she outed him to the entire world. I guess he started taking notes for his book then.

Payback is a bitch!

The interview was in the May 7, 1991 issue, just as her movie "Truth or Dare" was about to be released and she says in part: "My brother Christopher's gay, and he and I have always been the closest members of our family."

He writes:
I was incensed. From my point of view, my sister evidently decided that outing me to the readers of the Advocate is the perfect promotional tool for the movie. Let's face it, Truth or Dare deals directly or indirectly--with sadomasochism, lesbianism, rape, a hint of incest, a dead mother, so why not a gay brother as well?

After all, Madonna used my mother's grave as a movie location, so why not use my sexuality as a publicity opportunity? I realize another reason. The gay community had been her original fan base in the eighties. Now, though, some gay fans were starting to feel that she had become too mainstream, too hetero. Her answer? Her way of winning them back? "My brother Christopher is gay."

Go to Advocate.com to read the entire excerpt.

I'm sure that most of the TV critics here at the Beverly Hilton for the last day of the summer press tour could care less about what's happening with the characters on "Lipstick Jungle" in the new season. I however, am very interested. Was able to chat up the show's very nice executive producer Oliver Goldstick.

I went straight to the really important question: how much will be seeing of the super hunky Robert Buckley who plays Kirby and is often shirtless. Let's face it, he is one of the main reasons a lot of us watch the show anyway! Oliver told me that Robert is a bonafide regular cast member now (upgraded from recurring status I believe) and his relationship with Nico (Kim Raver) will continue.

"If somebody had said to me, 'Are we going to see any more of Kirby?' I wanted to say to you guys, NBC censors won't allow us to see any more of Kirby because all last season, when they got to post(production), they had to do a lot of cutting of Kirby," he said, refering to having to cut scenes to meet network standards for nudity.

"You'll be seeing a lot of Kirby," he promised. "I don't want to tell you too much but we're exploring this whole year what it means for an older woman to be with a younger man."

I asked him about Buckley and if all this shirtless stuff - which has been splashed all over the Internet and the pages of magazines, was just a fluke or what!

"Look, the right pecs can get you a lot of publicity I guess," Oliver said. "He likes to take his shirt off and I'm very fortunate for it. I guess the show's lucky. He;s 26 years old, At 26, we all took off things. He would do every scene in a towel if he could. He works out at the gym a lot. The thing about him that;s wonderful, he;s a ... genuine, sweet person. He's a puppy and eager to learn and he's learning very quickly. He's ... knows what his charm is and what works."

As for the gay character, he is Roy, the assistant to Victory (Lindsay Price). He is played by Matt Lauria who is completely adorable.

"Victory's assistant, Roy, will be coming out this season," Oliver said. "But not in a big way."

I wanted to ask what that meant, 'Not in a big way?' I guess it means he's going to remain a minor character. So far, just three episodes have been shot so maybe there is time to have Roy's part grow and have him have a hot boyfriend!

Here's what Oliver said about making the show more diverse in general:"One of my agendas coming in was to make the show resemble New York more. The New York I lived in for 10 years wasn't represented real well on the show. We needed more people who just looked like they lived in that city. You can't live ijn New York City without hearing five different languages while you're standing in line at Starbucks for a coffee in the morning. That's what New York is."
I love Mary Tyler Moore and I'm really looking forward to her guest spots as Brooke Shields' mom. But I had to laugh when Mary was announced as one of the "new faces" of the second season. We all know that Mary, now in her early 70s, has had many new faces over the years. She even wrote about her first facelift in her autobiography, "After All," published in the mid-90s. She had checked into a hotel to recover and done the whole bit to disguise herself (a hat, sunglasses, a scarf and a a big package to hold in front of her) but the minute she walked into the hotel (or maybe got into a taxi) someone said, 'Hello Miss Moore!"

Ouch.

Here's what Brooke said Monday about working with Mary, a seven-time Emmy winner and star of two of the most classic sitcoms in the history of television: "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

"She;s such an icon," she said. "There's such a level of respect for her talent and her ;longevity and just her humor. She was one of the first... to represent women in the workplace..She kind of walks into the set with all of that and commands respect. It's such a joy to be able to work opposite someone who you know has been through it all and has seen television through so many stages and eras."

Other tidbits: Carlos Ponce will play a new love interest - a contractor working on the flagship store Victory is opening this season. Andrew McCarthy will be back as well.
"I love the idea of a triangle."

Goldstick told me that the wonderfulLorraine Bracco, who guested on several episodes last season, will reprise her role as a scheming book editor in year two. Also guesting for several episodes will be Rosie Perez!

Had to miss Sunday's awards night at the Ford Ampitheatre because of the NBC party so I'm ripping off a story from The Hollywood Reporter about who won what! I'm happy to see that Thomas Gustafson's "Were the World Mine," which recounts an all-boys high school production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," was named outstanding U.S. dramatic feature. It happened to be the movie that was screened after the awards ceremony. I watched it on DVD a few weeks ago and loved it.

Click HERE to a clip and my interview with the director....

The festical, which formally closes tonight, also honored Lucia Puenzo's "XXY" as best international dramatic feature. Daryl Wein's "Sex Postitive" took the documentary award. Tye Olson was chosen best actor in a feature for "Watercolors"; Nicole Bilderback was best actress for "The New Twenty."

James Bolton earned the screenwriting award for "Dream Boy" which I reviewed over the weekend. Click HERE to see that.

Other winners: Madeleine Olnek's "Countertransference" was named best dramatic short; Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega's "La Corona" (The Crown) was hailed as best documentary short.

David Assmann's "Football Under Cover" received the Freedom Award, Dave O'Brien was recognized with the Emerging Talent Award for "Equality U" and Matt Wolf took the prize for Artistic Achievement for "Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell."

Audience awards went to David Oliveras, "Watercolors," first dramatic feature; Andrew Fleming, "Hamlet 2," dramatic feature; Carolyn Coal, "A Place to Live," documentary feature; Lee Sung-eun, "I'm Jin-Young," dramatic short; Micheli and Vega, "La Corna," documentary short; and "Hamlet 2," soundtrack.

It was so great to see Nichelle Nichols in "Tru Loved" as the sassy grandmother of a closeted high school football player who doesn't seem to care if he dates girls or boys - as long as they're black! It's a sweet film and i recommend it highly if you don't yet have a ticket for closing night of Outfest tonight at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown LA.
Nichelle, who played Lt. Uhura on the original "Star Trek" television series, will receive the Liberty and Justice Award from the ACLU of Southern California Foundation before the film is screened. The award is in recognition of her contributions to the fight for civil rights and social justice and will be presented to her by her "Star Trek" co-star George Takei who has become an outspoken leader for LGBT issues in recent years..

She was the first African American actor to have a recurring, non-stereotypical role on a network television series. Even though the role was groundbreaking, she felt it was not substantial and was tempted to quit the show. But Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. convinced her to stay with the series because Lt. Uhura was an important role model for black children.

Related post: Countdown to Outfest: "Tru Loved" is a true gem...

For more information about Outfest, the 26th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - which runs July 9-21 - go to Outfest.org

It finally happened: I overdosed on television stars today. Well, almost.

The setting was an outdoor garden at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for what was called the "NBC All-Star Party." It was a surreal co-mingling of people who normally would not travel in the same circles. That's because the party had NBC prime-time stars mixed with anchors and hosts from NBC News and NBC Sports, personalities from reality shows on Bravo, and stars of shows on the USA Network.
At one point, model-reality show star Janice Dickerson was standing just feet away from where MSNBC news personality Keith Olberman was giving interviews. If you looked to your right, in the same frame were NFL analyst John Madden and one of the scary blondes from "Real Housewives of Orange County" - the real scary one who bought her daughter a car so she could control her.

So it was quite a gathering and I worked it like nobody's business interviewing Seth Myers of "Saturday Night Live," Alfre Woodard, Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights"), Hayden Panettiere and Milo Venttimigila of "Heroes," Anthony Anderson who just joined the cast of "Law & Order," Christian Slater who stars with Alfre in the new show "My Own Worst Enemy," Selma Blair and Molly Shannon who co-star in the new comedy "Kath & Kim," Cristian de la Fuente of "Dancing With the Stars" who now co-stars on USA network's "In Plain Sight," Zachary Levi of "Chuck," Debra Messing, Hart Bochner, and Chris Diamantopoulos who star in "The Starter Wife," and "The Office" co-stars Melora Hardin and Oscar Nunez.

This was in the span of about 2.5 hours and I basically staggered out of the hotel giving up opportunities to talk to some of the other folks who were there including Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott, soap star Deidre Hall, Jeff Lewis of "Flipping Out," Masi Oka and Greg Grunberg of "Heroes," Jeff Goldblum, and David Gregory and Chris Matthews of NBC News.

Some of those people I have done interviews with in the past year so I skipped them. I profiled James Roday of "Psych" just last week and while I didn't need to interview him again, we did chat for a few minutes and he was happy with the piece. It's better than him walking up to me, smacking me across the head and saying :'You bastard! That article was crap!'"

These interviews will appear on the blog and in my Daily News column "News Lite." Tomorrow is the final day of TCA press tour. I'll post some items from there.

The cast of the USA series "The Starter Wife" was just here at the TV Critics Assn. Press Tour and I was really happy to hear that Judy Davis, who won an Emmy for playing Debra Messing's best friend in the mini-series last year, will appear in eight of the series' 10 episodes that begin airing this fall. Judy isn't here today but the rest of the cast including dreamy Hart Bochner and Chris Diamantopoulos who play Debra's new love interest and gay best friend, respectively.

In the miniseries, Debra's character of Molly had been dumped by her film executive husband as well as their social set. She was rebuilding her life and that's where the series picks up: "Her life begins really. The miniseries was kind of summeer and now school begins. It's how she deals with her new love life, entering the world of Hollywood and trying to figure out how (she's) going to make a living, interacting with my ex-husband, and old friends.

Debra, who filmed the original miniseries shortly after the end of "Will & Grace," was asked if she would be a part of a reunion for that show which ran for eight seasons on NBC and won her an Emmy.

"i would be game," she said. "It's a little trickly because the finale played with time and they showed what happened 25 years ahead so it's a little difficult to see how that would be possible."

Oh, c'mon Debra! Bobby Ewing DIED on "Dallas" then showed up a year later in the shower!

I'm back on the TV Critics Assn. Press tour today at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. It's so cold in this ballroom that it could be used as a meat locker!

I missed yesterday in order to have an Outfest day and that was the CW day where it was confirmed that Shannen Doherty is going to return to the "90210," the zip code that made her famous.

She will reprise her role of Brenda Walsh when she guest stars in multiple episodes of The CW's spin-off, "90210." It premieres on September 2, Shannen played the part for the first four seasons of the show back in the 90s and frankly, once she left, it was a big loss creatively even though I think it left the cast and crew dancing in the streets. Shannen, by all reports, had become quite a handful.

Brenda was last seen headed to London to study acting. So this is what has happened to her since: following her move, she became a successful theater actress, splitting her time between London and New York. The character soon transitioned into directing for theater and had equal success in that career. West Beverly Hills High School has approached Walsh to return to her alma mater as a guest director for the school's musical production.

With Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling also returning for guest spots and hunky "Melrose Place" alum,Rob Estes as one of the leads, this is gonna be a can't-miss!

This has been one crazy week between Outfest and the TV Critics Assn Press Tour. My dance card has been impossibly full. But on Friday, I set it all aside to be in the newsroom at the Daily News for the last day on the job of our managing editor, Melissa Lalum.

I've been in the biz for morethan 20 years now and editors have come into my life and gone out of my life. But none had ever been like Melissa.

I was very fortunate to have her as my direct editor for the past two years as I went from being a reporter covering the entertainment industry to a blogger and columnist. She was always my champion but also never afraid to tell me what she really thought and welcomed my opinions even if they were different from hers. We had some terrific and spirited debates over column items and I always knew - even from the beginning - that it was a rare and special time in our professional lives. I will always cherish it.

So, life goes on and Melissa has decided to leave the tumultuous newspaper business but she has not forsaken journalism. She is joining the faculity of the journalism department at Cal State University Northridge where she will be advisor to the student newspaper and teach classes among other things. Those students are incredibly lucky to have her as their mentor - as was I.

Here are some pictures from the going-away bash we held for Melissa at the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas on Friday night. So many faces from the past were there, so many, many people in general and all had that same lump in the throat that I felt all day. But I know Melissa will still be reading Out In Hollywood which she and our former editor Ron Kaye (standing to my left on the top photo) gave me unflinching support of - always.

Thanks for everything Melissa!

It was Saturday night and the Directors Guild of America theater was absolutely sold out with plenty of disappointed Outfesters turned away. I guess since the straight crowds have had their "American Pie" movies and the like, the gays are embracing ranchy flicks geared toward them. There's been "Eating Out" and its sequel then there was "Another Gay Movie" and last night, the world premiere of "Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild."

And wild it was.

Directed and written by Todd Stephens, this is a wonderful example of how LGBT movies are hitting all kinds of different genres these days. I think a lot of younger gays are gonna have a blast with this flick. It's got lotsa hot guys, making out, promiscuous sex, backstabbing, drinking, projectile vomiting, etc. as four best buds head to Ft. Lauderdale for spring break.

I believe there is just one holdover from the cast of the first film which I saw and thought I liked but realized as I was watching the second one that I do not remember a single thing about the first flick.

Stephens captures that beach blanket movie feel and the guys gone wild stuff well and the main four actors are just a hoot! RuPaul actually does a nice job as the resort's activities director but a subplot involving Perez Hilton getting hit on the head and becoming some kind of evangelist was ill-advised and not well-received.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that a former member of the "Big Brother" cast, Will Wikle, did such a fun job as the major villain in the movie - a bitchy guy named Jasper whose two sideklicks are also named Jasper (kind of like the Heathers I reckon). I really hated the head Jasper so Will did a good job!

The film is set for theatrical release this fall.

Wow!

I had predicted that the Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" would achieve the second or third-highest opening in movie history. Whaddaya know, it did even better by grossing an estimated $155.3 million over the weekend to surpass the record set last year by "Spider-Man 3" ($151.1 million) to achieve the biggest three-day opeing ever.

The movie, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale as Batman, has been getting race reviews and none have been stronger than those for the late Heath Ledger's Joker. It is being hailed as the best performance of Heath's too-short career and is already surrounded by Oscar buzz. I'm seeing the movie this week. Until then, "Brokeback Mountain" remains his career high point.

The terrific musical "Mammia Mia" starring Meryl Streep was a distant but very-respectable second with estimated ticket sales of $27.6 million.

This is such an impressive movie. I'm so glad I got myself over to the DGA Theatre this morning to see "Dream Boy" despite a very strong desire to sleep in. I got there when the movie was just starting and just settled in.

The movie - based on the novel by James Grimsley - is set in the 70s and tells the story of painfully shy Nathan (Stephan Bender) who has moved to rural Louisiana with his religious parents - moved in right next door to Roy (Maximillian Roeg) and his family. The bookish Nathan is immediately smitten with the outgoing and confident Roy. Homework sessions blossom into more - far more. However, Nathan's dark secrets threaten to tear them apart.

Cool side note: Nathan's mom is played by Diana Scarwid who played Christina Crawford opposite Faye Dunaway in "Mommie Dearest" and Roy's mom is played by singer Rickie Lee Jones!

I have to say right here, the sex scenes in this film between the two leads are among the most sensual and tender that you will see. Add the stolen moments element and it is just perfect. Bender and Roeg are absolutely superb in their roles - not a false note anywhere.

For a good 20 minutes there is very little dialogue and you just can't stop watching. Director and co-writer James Bolton just does such an amazing job with the cast he assembled.
While Bender and Roag are both very attractive, the hunk of the film is Randy Wayne who plays Burke. You will not want to miss the swimming scenes foir one thing, but Wayne does a fine job of showing up the characters dark side - at first in subtle ways with the darting of the eyes - then in truly awful ways.)

I don't want to give away the ending but I was surprised at how upset I felt at the way things turned out. I had gotten so absorbed in the characters and cared about them.

After the screening, Bolton told us the movie took 21 days to shoot and "cost far less than it may look." International distribution is already set but a deal with a domestic distributor has not yet been closed.

This is one of the better films of the entire festival. I've seen more than two-dozen and this ranks in my top five.

Sat in on part of this panel discussion in the afternoon. It brought together directors Gregg Araki ("Mysterious Skin"), Donna Deitch ("Desert Hearts"), Andrew Fleming (Hamlet 2"), Don Roos (Happy Endings") who talked about what goes down on a movie set during the shooting of a sex scene.

It wasn;t as titliating at the program seemed to promise but then again, don't they say these sex scenes are always far more technical to do than enjoyable?

Roos, whose credits include "The Opposite of Sex" and "Happy Endings," admitted: "I'm the least sexual person in the world ... I would much prefer someone brush my hair.'

After showing a graphic scene from "Mysterious Skin" involving Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a nother actor, Araki talked about the acting and camera techniques and all of that but then admitted: "The scene still sort of startles me when I see it."

"I'm really fascinated by the way people interact with each other when they are having sex," he added.

Fleming talked about some of the difficulties of shooting the sex scenes on his movie "Threesome" which starred Lara Flynn Boyle, Josh Charles and Stephen Baldwin.

"Bascially, every scene in that movie they are either talking about sex or having sex," he said.

The biggest issue usually had to do with how much of Boyle's breast could be shown without a body double being called in. She had an iron-clad contract detailing how much breast could show. But as far as the climactic threeway between the leads, the director said: "The problem was going to be getting them to stop touching each other."

Each director was asked to name their favorite sex scene in any film and Araki chose the classic one between Daniel Day-Lewis and Gordon Warneckein "My Beautiful Launderette" of which he said: "I remember seeing that scene and besides being turned on, I was blown away by the intensity of it."

I'm off to an early Outfest screening (three in all today) but wanted to post the clips from yesterday's episode of "As the World Turns" that involve Luke and Noah...

This is very encouraging: Californians are likely to support same-sex marriage in the coming November election, suggests to an opinion poll released Friday. November is still a long ways away but I hope with all my heart that these numbers hold up on election day.
The Wall Street Journal writes: According to the Field Poll, 51% of California voters surveyed said they would oppose Proposition 8, a ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman, thus banning same-sex marriage. Forty-one percent of voters surveyed said they would vote "yes" on the measure, according to the statewide survey that was completed this week.

Those results are nearly identical to findings of a Field Poll in May that found 51% of Californian voters surveyed approved of allowing gay couples to marry, while 42% disapproved.

In May, California's Supreme Court struck down a ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional, allowing gay marriages to become legal starting June 17. Opposition groups put an initiative banning same-sex marriage on the November ballot. The measure would need a simple majority to become law.

The San Francisco Bay Area showed the strongest opposition to Prop. 8, with 67% of voters surveyed there opposing the proposition and 26% supporting it, according to the new survey. Los Angeles County voters also opposed the measure, 51% to 41%.

Last month, I wrote about Antonio Sabato Jr. participating in "Celebrity Circus." At the ABC party last night, he waved me over to tell me that he had won!

"It was the best, the best time," he said. "Everything came to a beautiful close. I would have to say it was one of the best - if not the best - experience I've ever had. I've never won anything and to win something exremely hard like that after so much hard work and pain, it paid off.

"It never felt like going to work though and I made friends I'm going to have for the rest of my life."

Antonio segues directly from "Circus" to the SOAPnet summer series "Night Shift" in which he reprises his old "General Hospital" role of Jagger.

There's a reason why ABC got the highest marks by GLAAD this week as far as LGBT representation. (I would have written about the GLAAD study but it was never sent to me). The network's shows are not only the most hip and cool, but the diversity is fantastic. Scotty and Kevin got married on "Brothers & Sisters" and Uncle Saul came out of the closet; on "Ugly Betty," Marc St. Clair is gay and Betty's little brother Justin is on his way there and Rebecca Romijn plays a transexual; "Desperate Housewives" has a gay teen (Andrew) and a gay couple who got married at seasons's end (Lee and Bob), on "Dirty Sexy Money" Billy Baldwin's politician character carried on an affair with a transsexual woman played by transsexual actress Candys Cane; and "Grey's Anatomy" ended its season with a lesbian kiss that wil develop into a relationship this season.

When I saw network president Steve McPherson at the ABC party last night, I asked him about this wonderful inclusion:

Q. Has there been any kind of problem from sponsors or other groups about some of these storylines?
A. We really haven't. It is good a sign, I think, that the world has changed a lot. People are now so much more accepting and are more concerned about the storylne. I never hear anything like, 'Oh that;s too edgy because it's about homosexuality' or 'That's too edgy because it's about race.' People really don't do any of that. 'Lost' did an episode in Korean and it was one of our highest-rated episodes.

("Desperate Housewives" creator) Marc Cherry talked about it today how he had a gay couple move onto the street and nothing happened. That's life. It's not like a gay couple moves onto the street and the street burns down! I think that's a great statement about society that that's where we've gotten to.

As a broadcast network, we're looking to do what's right for business tro some extent and what's right for business is to have the broadest representation that we can. I've gotten a lot of accolades for the efforts of a lot of other people in terms of the diversity on the network. I always say, it might be the right thing to do but we don't do it because of that. We do it because it's good business....If you were to put a show on and it was all white men, people would go, 'I don't get it. It's not my world'"
Steve gives all credit to people like Cherry, Greg Berlanti ("Brothers & Sisters" and "Dirty Sexy Money"), Silvio Horta ("Ugly Betty") - all of whom are gay - as well as Shondra Rhimes ("Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice") and others for the diversity on these shows: "A great deal of my job is collaborating with great talent and it's really about them at the end of the day. It's really about them crafting these worlds and them demanding that it be a realistic representation of what they're telling stories about."

And finally, I asked Steve about the GLAAD kudos: "It's fantastic. I think that organization does an amazing job and represents themselves enormously well. For us, I think it's another maybe recognition that we have this diversity on our air. To me, it's not about diversity, to me it's about honest representation about where we are today in our society. If it's an accolade about that, then we're really glad to get it."

We all know Gale Harold as sexy and slutty Brian Kinney from the much-beloved "Queer as Folk" series. Of that amazing cast, he has found the most work on television including the lead in the short-lived Fox series "Vanished," a role on HBO's "Deadwood," and a stunning two-part guest spot on "Grey's Anatomy" as a paramedic who is a closet white supremicist. Now he has landed a role as a regular on "Desperate Housewives" which begins its fifth season this fall with the show jumping ahead five years.
Here is part of our conversation last night at the ABC party which was the culmination of the network's day on the Television Critics Association Press Tour.

Q. That is a very dramatic opening scene you had on the season finale of "Desperate Housewives." It was such a shock because Susan (Teri Hatcher) came home to you and not to Mike (James Denton). How have things been going so far?
A. I've worked about four days and it's been very nice, a very easy transition to go from being a complete stranger to all these people to just going to work and doing the work. (Teri) has a very ready grasp of what she needs to bring to the scene, she's a very fluid actress and it's been great to work with her."
Q. Do you feel like you've finally left Brian behind?
A. Brian behind? Is that a joke?
Q. it was such a great role. And you're doing such different stuff now and I'm starting to look at you in a different way.
A. I'm glad that you say that. That's kind of a baseline obstacle for an actor who comes from a place of obsurity then gets a big job and then they get associated with whatever that big job is. And when the job is really somewhat extreme then you worry. Everyone decides to get freaked out about typecasting at some point in their lives. But I really wasn't.... If I was never anything other than what I did on that show then maybe I would be typecast but I think I have the ability to consider the world at large and approach it.""

At this point, some other "journalist" crashes our little chat and remarks that Brian Kinney "could have been straight or gay." I love Gale's response: "No, I think he could never have been straight. I mean, the guy was absolutely homosexual. It was part of what was interesting about playing him. He was what he was. He was, essentially, an absolutely-realized gay man living with no boundaries."

This same "journalist" who doesn'rt even let people finish their answers then asks Gale about his "Desperate Housewives" character which he has already covered. So, he jokes: "He's a self-possessed gay man, out and proud."

I wrestle control of the interview back and ask him about his fellow "Queer as Folk" castmates. Are they in touch?

"By the way, congratulations to Sharon Gless who was nominated for an Emmy today. That should be the lead, don't bury it, please. I had lunch with Scott Lowell (last) Saturday and I emailed Peter Paige this afternoon. Randy (Harrison) was in Paris and we talked a day after he got back about three weeks ago."

I wrap up my part of the interview when the other "journalist" starts asking questions like "Are you a nightlife guy?" "Are you an outdoors guy?"

I didn't stick around long enough to hear the answers to those STELLAR questions...

The "Gossip Girl" cutie turns 23 today!

Yeah, yeah, there are all those gay rumors but Chace hasn't really said much about them. I'm wishing him a happy birthday because, well, it;s seems like a mighty good excuse to post a buncha photos of him in various poses...shirtless of course!

Happy Friday! Sorry for the lack of posts so far today. I've got plenty coming including an interview with Gale Harold who I talekd to last night at ABC's TV critics party which is why I slept in. - was kinda running on fumes after also getting up early for the Emmy nominations.

Last night It was stars everywhere. I'm serving up some chicken at the buffet line and notice I'm standing next two Loretta Devine. Wander out to the lobby awhile later and there is Nick Lachey looking far cuter than he does in photos or on TV. That boy is beautiful! And so is Brendan Fehr, the "Roswell" star who had the film "Sugar" at Outfest a few years back. He's in a new ABC Family miniseries. Victor Garber was there and I have such a crush and a very fit Zach Braff. Had a really good talk wit Barry Watson who's so good in "Samantha Who?" It was fun to chat with Vanessa Williams about "Ugly Betty" and Amy Brenneman about "Private Practice."

And on and on and on. These interviews - and many, many more - will be featured in the coming weeks and months as shows premiere. But I'll start with Gale Harold who you will be reading about by lunchtime...

I'm still here at the press tour and the cast of "Desperate Housewives" is on stage along with show creator Marc Cherry.

Marc was asked about Andrew Van de Kamp (Shawn Pyfrom), the show's gay teenager who used to be evil then kinda got a lobotomy and now has gotten close to his mom Bree (Marcia Cross) again.

"I don't have anything planned for the first half of the season," Marc said of the Andrew character.

Marc shared that Andrew was based on him when he was younger during the first season, at least in terms of his mother's attitude toward his being gay. He had Andrew be more "in your face" than he was as a kid.

"I got to work out some of my anger," he said.

But now that Marc has worked things out and is closer than ever to his mother, Andrew's more symbiotic relationship with Bree reflects that.

"She;s kind of like my mother," Marc said. "She knows you're gay, you just don't talk about it."

UPDATE: OK, I just talked to Marc and got the scoop on Andrew: "He;s Bree's assistant so he becomes he becomes kind of her Machiavellian assistant, making sure that she's taken care of. So it becomes an interesting relationship because their bond is now different than it was before. It will be a very adult (Andrew)."

And will Andrew finally get another love interest?
"Ultimarely, but I don;t know when," Marc said. "I'm not gonna shy away from it but right now I'm just kind of busy setting up the new season with what the women are all about. So we'll get there."

Also asked Marc about the future of Bob and Lee, the gay couple on Wisteria Lane played by Tuc Watkins and Kevin Rahm. They had a commitment ceremony in the season finale.

They're on the street, they will have a little daughter," he said. "We're probably going to use them later on in the middle of the season but they're still a part of the neighborhood and Tuc and Kevin just signed a deal and they'll be part of whatever's going on."

I just interviewed Blair Underwood in the lobby! Very charismatic, impossibly handsome. Good grief...Okay, gotta collect myself. the cast of "Private Practice" is on the stage...

All this Emmy stuff, Outfest stuff, TV Critics Press Tour stuff. Where's the beef(cake)?!!"

I'm here at a TCA session and during a lull, found these pics of the movie star handsome tennis star Tommy Haas. He has been out with injury (a frequent occurance) but returned with a win on Thursday over John Isner at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships.

Kevin Spacey already has two Oscars and a Tony Award. Now, he might be adding an Emmy to his collection.

The star of stage and screen recieved his first-ever Emmy nomination on Thursday for his performance in HBO's "Recount," an acclaimed film about the 2000 presidential election controversy in Florida.

He was in London when he called to talk about it.
"It's just fantastic," he said. "I've never been nominated for an Emmy."

Not only did Kevin get his own Emmy nod for his performance as Ron Clain, but his Trigger Street Productions got a total of 21 nods for "Recount" and another HBO film, "Bernard and Doris."

"Oddly, 21 continues to be a very lucky number," Kevin said, referring to his feature film, "21," a surprise box office hit earlier this year.

I wondered what Kevin was going to do to celebrate all this Emmy recognition. He said that after a series of meetings, he would be raising a glass of champagne to the late Sidney Pollack who was originally set to direct "Recount" before being diagnosed with cancer. Sidney remained involved with the film as a producer.

"For me, 'Recount' started with a phone call from Sydney Pollack over a year ago," Kevin said. "He had been a friend of mine for many years and we never had the chance to work togehter. I was so excited about the prospect of working with him as a director. When he had to pull out, it was a devastating blow. But he said, 'You've got to stay with it.'"

"Recount," which received 11 Emmy nods overall, reunited Kevin with Denis Leary, his co-star from the cult classic "The Ref."

"I couldn't be happier that he took my phone call and that he said yes and that he got
nominated for supporting actor," he said. "We had a fantastic time doing 'The Ref' together and there was something about Dennis that was perfect for the ("Recount") role."

Kevin still takes on film roles that appeal to him but he is living in London full-time now
where he has been the artistic director at the Old Vic Theatre for the past five years. He
oversees 4-5 productions each year and stars in some of them.

"In many ways, everything I did in my life was leaning toward running a theater," he said.
"It's the most challenging and satisfying role I've ever taken on.

Emmy nominations were announced veeeerrry early this morning by the inspired pairing of Neil Patrick Harris and Kristen Chemowith. I tell,ya, get the actors with stage experience to do the gig, they just had so much charm and humor and none of that deer in the headlights look that so many other actors who have done the job before have been afflicted with.

Not only were they sensational nomination announcers, but both got Emmy nominations themselves!

Neil, of course, got his second consecutive nod for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for CBS' "How I Met Your Molther." The out actor plays the womanizing Barney and has been the show's breakout character from the beginning. NPH will compete against Jeremy Piven and Kevin Dillon of "Entourage," Rainn Wilson of "The Office" and Jon Cryer of "Two and a Half Men."

I don't know about you, but I think it's Neil's year! I hope he wins and gives that cute boyfriend David Burkta a big smooch before heading to the stage.

Kristen, a Tony Award winner already, was nominated for her supporting role in "Pushing Daisies" (series star Lee Pace (sigh....) was also nominated.) Kirstin and Neil "surprised" Academy offiicials with a birthday cake because it is Emmy's 60th birthday. Before blowing out the candles Kristen said: "I would sing happy birthday but it's not public domain and the Emmys can't afford for me to sing that song!"

It was also funny when NPH announced Jeff Probst as one of the nominees in the new category of outstanding reality show host. Kristen gave a little cheer then explained: "I had a date with him. He's hot. He's really cute.

NPH to Kristen: "Maybe you'll have a second one."

Kristen: "No, he;s marrying someone else."

Anyway, I think I had predicted that Cynthia Nixon would not only get an Emmy nomination but would likely win for her guest appearance on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." She played a woman with multiple personalities and did so brilliantly. If Cynthia wins, it would be her second Emmy. She won one for her performance as Mirnada in the final season of "Sex and the City." She also has a Tony Award for "Rabbit Hole." I hope she brings her girlfriend and gives her a big kiss too before taking the stage!

Cynthia's award would be handed out at the Creative Arts Emmys which is a non-televised event a week before the main Emmy ceremony. Sounds kinda dull, huh? Well, not with Kathy Griffin in the room! It is at this ceremony last year that Kathy won for Outstanding Reality Program for "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List." She took to the stage and said "Suck it Jesus! This award is my God now!" Well, Kathy is up for the award again and will compete against a strange mix of shows: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Antiques Roadshow," "Intervention" and "Dirty Jobs."
But here's the best part: Kathy has been nominated for TWO Emmys this year and will actually be let into the Kodak Theatre for the main show! Who;s D-List now? "Kathy Griffin: Straight to Hell" is up for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy special! I'm rooting for Kathy because, well, she loves the gays. And we love her!

Other nominations I find of interest: Michael C. Hall, at last, is nominated for an Emmy! This superb actor - one of the best working in television for the past decade or so - has been overlooked so many times. First as David Fisher on "Six Feet Under" and last year as a forensic specialist/serial killer on "Dexter." He's up for outstanding actor in a drama series. Last year's winner James Spader is somehow nominated again and if he wins over Hall, I will have to take a moment to collect myself.

Other Greg faves nominated: last year's winner Sally Field for outstanding actress in a drama series for "Brothers & Sisters," Elaine Stritch and Carrie Fisher for outstanding guest appearance in a comedy for "30 Rock" and Jean Smart, outstanding supporting actress in a comedy for "Samantha Who?"

Here is a video of Neil and Kristen this morning:

I'm reading nothing but raves for Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker in "The Dark Knight" which opens Friday. In reading them, I just felt really sad all over again over what we have lost. But how great that we have his classic performance in "Brokeback Mountain" and parts in other really good films ("10 Things I Hate About You") and even good performances in not-so-great movies.("The Four Feathers").

It's so tragic that there won't be more. Here are some excerpts from some of the reviews for Heath:

The main reason that the film works is the performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker. It's simply riveting. After the carefully-crafted origin story of Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan wisely shifts the focus off of the Pointy-Eared One and onto the villain who would make him fully realize his potential as Gotham's savior: the mysterious and horrifying Joker, whose refusal to compromise plays foil to Bruce Wayne's own internal conflict. And I cannot imagine that any other actor could have realized this part with the nuance, the bravado, and the sheer balls that Ledger brought to the role.
-- Brian Juergens, AfterElton.com
Heath Ledger's mesmerizing, scary-funny performance begins with the creepiness of his image: the greasy long hair, the makeup that looks as if he'd drawn it on with crayons, then messed it with tears. ... This Joker may be a torture freak, but he also has a lost quality, a melancholy hidden within those black-circled eyes. He turns slaughter into a punchline; he's a homicidal comedian with an audience of one -- himself. In this, the last performance he completed before his death, Ledger had a maniacal gusto inspired enough to suggest that he might have lived to be as audacious an actor as Marlon Brando, and maybe as great.-- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

The Joker is more than wild. It's a tribute to the power of Heath Ledger's transcendent performance in The Dark Knight (* * * * out of four) that we can watch him, transfixed and deeply unsettled by the character's creepiness, laugh at his comic menace, and still manage to block out thoughts of the actor's tragic and untimely death. This is a career-making performance if ever there was one. Too bad it was a career-ending one as well. Actors are sometimes described as "disappearing into a role." Never was that term more fitting than in the case of Ledger. To go from the taciturn ranch hand in Brokeback Mountain to the randy philanderer in Casanova to the mid-career Bob Dylan in I'm Not There to the embodiment of comic book evil is a stunning trajectory.
Claudia Puig, USA TODAY

There's a reason why the Fairfax was absolutely sold out last night for the 7 p.m. screening of the Israeli film "Antartica" written and directed by Yair Hochner. It has the most attractive ensemble cast of any movie at Outfest this year and the sex scenes are so explicit that it was (almost) enough to make me blush!

This romantic comedy set in Tel Aviv is about a group of young men (and a few women) who are searching for something. Some of them are getting it: sex, sex and more sex. Omer, about to turn 30, works at the local library and reads books about U.F.O.s before bed. Then Omer meets Ronen, a handsome journalist working on a U.F.O. story. There are also a couple of dancers - one very young, the other closer to 30 - who intermingle in this stiry and a couple of lesbians and Omer's very manly mother (she's played by a man apparently which I didn;t know for sure until I got a consensus from other audience members).

Anyway, there's a good film in there somewhere but it is just a little too meandering and takes much too long to get where we knew it was going. You don't mind so much during the more passionate scenes but at one point, things got so tedious that BOTH the friends I went with had nodded off, one of them emitting a brief little snore.

If ya missed "Antartica" and want to see it, it screens a second time and in a bigger venue: Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in DGA 1.

For more information about Outfest, the 26th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - which runs July 9-21 - go to Outfest.org

It's pretty tough to think you have problems after watching a movie like "A Jihad for Love." I watched a screener of the documentary, which plays tonight at Outfest, and the tears just fell. Your heart breaks for what the people in this film have been put through because they are gay.

Directed and written by Parvez Sharma, it was shot in twelve countries and nine languages. "Jihad" is an amazing film in which the subjects of the documentary speak openly about the challenges of being gay/lesbian and Muslim. There are those who have had to flee their country or been beaten or jailed. There are also the deeply personal struggles to reconcile a faith that is part of the fabric of who they are, with a faith that also rejects them for who they love.

The screening tonight begins at 7 p.m. at the Directors Guild of America Theatre. Tickets can only be purchased at the door at this point.

For more information about Outfest, the 26th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - which runs July 9-21 - go to Outfest.org

Was surfing through my pal Kenneth Walsh's blog Kennethinthe212 and realized that the newest hunk on the pop culture landscape had completely not been on my radar.

How could i not have noticed gorgeous Calvin Klein underwear model Garrett Neff? I mean, look at him! And isn't that name the coolest? I love it!

Anyway, Kenneth has a few more pics and videos on his site under the clever headline "Just Can't Get E-Neff." I swiped a few just to give you an appetizer.

The brilliant playwright turned 52 today. "Angels in America" is obviously his most famous and important work so far and won him the Pulitzer Prize. But he is also co-author of the Oscar nominated screenplay of the 2005 film "Munich.", He also wrote the book for the musical "Caroline, or Change" and was the subject of the 2006 documentary feature entitled "Wrestling With Angels" debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.

here! Films continues its steady march toward gay movie world domination!

Here! announced Wednesday that it has acquired all North American distribution rights to "The World Unseen," a new film from director Shamim Sarif.(who wrote the script adopted from her book of the same name) and screened at this year's Outfest. Written, directed, financed and produced entirely by women, "Unseen" will be released theatrically this fall by Regent Releasing, here! Films' sister company.

Here is a synopsis: Set in 1950's South Africa at the beginning of apartheid. Free-spirited Amina (Sheetal Sheth) has broken all the rules of her own conventional Indian community and the new apartheid-led government, by running a café with Jacob, her black business partner. When she meets Miriam (Lisa Ray), a young wife and mother, their unexpected attraction pushes Miriam to question the rules that bind her to a traditional role. As Amina helps Miriam's sister-in-law to hide from the police, a chain of events is set in motion that changes both women forever.

Festival-goers who are planning to attend the Awards Night screening of "Were the World Mine" on Sunday are in for a real treat. It's a musical fantasy that is beautifully done.

Directed and co-written by Tom Gustafson, it's set at an all-boys high school that is putting on a production of that Shakespearean classic. Handsome and imaginative Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is the class outsider who mentally escapes his surroundings by imagining a row of dodgeball-wielding jocks as a corps de ballet.

Then he gets cast as Puck opposite his secret crush, dreamy jock Jonathon (Nathaniel David Becker) and things get complicated and absolutely turned upside down. With the help of a certain flower, Timothy gains the power to make the unlikeliest of people besotted with each other.- incliuding Jonathon with him! Bascially, he goes about making his entire closed-minded town gay!

Gustafson adapted the film from his acclaimed short film "Fairies." I talked to him last week just as he was about to leave for the airport. His film opened the Tokyo Gay and Lesbian Film Festival last Friday.

"The festival circuit is pretty great, traveling and getting the work out there and encouraging people to spread the world," he added. "The only way these movies have a life is if people keep talking about them. It's been amazing. We premiered at the Florida Film Festival, a non-gay festival. It was great to kick-off at that type of festival to break down the barriers and we won the audience award. We played Nashville and won a music award, then Italy. We just played the Castro in San Francisco. It's been a really great, exciting ride. Mainstream and gay and lesbian audiences have reacted to it like a live theatrical event."

There is am lot of making out in the movie and I can tell you, the cast really goes for it! Tom told me why: "It was really important to me to cast gay actors in gay roles but some are, some aren't publicly out. Obviously, I wouldn't have cast them if they weren't comfortable with the script. We made it clear: everyone's got to get over any sort of homophobic thing you have. You are in a musical with gay characters so get so over it."

The film was shot in Chicago in 24 days on a budget that was "way under" $1 million.
"We are a small film with a big heart. It can be overwhelming (making a movie) but the thing I stress to other first-time filmmakers is to surround yourself with others doing it for the first time because they want to prove themselves too and make something magical."

Often times, LGBT films are relegated to a brief arthouse run - if they are lucky - then discovered on DVD. Tom is hoping for major big-screen exposure.

"We have some offers, we hope to close out some distribution deals soon," he said. "We really want this to have a theatrical run where people can experience it in a communal setting. Obviously we will keep playing festivals and are talking about doing a school tour. We want youths to be able to see it."

Here is a sneak peek of the movie:

For more information about Outfest, the 26th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - which runs July 9-21 - go to Outfest.org

We're on a break here at the Television Critics Association Press Tour (I did an inrerview with Victor Garber that I'll have for ya tomorrow!) so I've got a little bit to time to blog! Hooray! Loooooove to blog.
So the oh-so talented Leslie Jordan gave an interview to MSNBC that, dammit, almost had me boo-hooing in this press room at the Beverly Hilton. He talks about his new book, "My Trip Down the Pink Carpet," and it's the questions about his parents that just gave me a lump in the throat.

Here they are:

Q: You dedicate the book to your mom, and say you are very proud to be her son. Tell me about her, and the influence that she had on your life and career.
A: My mom will never march in a gay pride parade with a big sign. She is very private. She lives in Chattanooga. She tries so hard to understand me and my life. But she said to me once, "Leslie, if I live to be 105 I'll never understand this need you have to air your dirty laundry. Why can't you just whisper it to a therapist?!" She doesn't understand. I was raised in a religion that I never felt embraced me. That wasn't her fault. I had this amazing childhood. My mother is of her generation. If I'm going to ask her to accept me exactly as I am, I have to give her the same. She has read part of the book, but my sisters told her which chapters not to read!

Q: You say that you think your dad went to his grave ashamed of his son. Have you come to peace or closure with the loss of your father and how he felt of you?
A: [Recently], the most amazing thing happened. My mother told me a story without realizing how important it was --if she had told me earlier I wouldn't have been in therapy for 20 years! When I was 3 years old in 1958, I said I wanted a bride doll for Christmas. My dad was an army guy, man's man, sports guy. He said "over my dead body." Christmas Eve all I could talk about was the bride doll. And my lieutenant colonel of a daddy went out in 1958 in the hills of Tennessee and found his 3-year-old son a bride doll. He just wanted me to be happy. I'm so relieved. I wish he was around for all of this.

The ever-photogenic David Beckham's latest ad campaign...

Brody Jenner is snapped taking a run in West Hollywood. I'm still not sure why he's famous but he sure is cute!

Joey Lawrence works out, a lot. And we can see every bit of his hard work in this oh-so-tight outfit. He sure looks great in that T-shirt though, don't ya think?

Talked to Katey Sagal at the Television Critics Association Press Tour yesterday and wanted to share that with you. On her new show, she plays Charlie Hunnam;s mom! Will post through the day with TCA-related items and general items whenever I get the chance.

Katey Sagal knows she can get laughs, but that's not what she'll be looking for in her latest TV gig.

The star of the sitcoms "Married With Children and "8 Simple Rules" has stepped into the role of the fierce matriarch of a notorious outlaw motorcycle gang on the new FX series "Sons of Anarchy."

"She's lived in this motorcycle world for 30 years and was married to the guy who started the original club," Katey said if her character, Gemma. "I've been wanting to do a drama, I've been wanting to do something different. This is really something I was looking for and I'm really happy to be here."

Gemma could not be further from Peg Bundy and that was the appeal for the actress who started in showbiz as a background singer for Bette Midler.

"I feel like I've been in the sitcom comedy world so much - which I'm so grateful for - and I sort of feel like there wasn't a lot more to explore," she added. "I feel like I really did a good job in that world."

The show, which will air on Wednesday nights beginning Sept. 3, has Katey working with her husband, Kurt Sutter, who created the show and is one of the writers and executive producers.

They had previously worked together on a few episodes of "The Shield" and so far, things have been pretty smooth.

"He's in the writer's room and producing and I'm actually on the set so during the day we don't seem to run into each other quite as much but we're all on the same lot so we can sneak off for lunch," she said.

"We never have done this and it's working out great. I have enormous respect for my husband as an artist. It's great to leave the husband and wife cap at home and I have no problem with him being the boss which I think is his favorite part (laughs)."

Would her character ever ride a motorcyle? Katey said no but quickly added: "She might ride on the back."

Like I don't already have enough going on this crazy week. Outfest runs through Monday as does the Television Critics Assn. tour and I am juggling events at both and getting ready for Emmy nominations early Thursday morning. It's also my awesome editor Melissa Lalum's last week at the paper so there's more than usual weighing on me right now.

So with all of this going on, I get home and on my doorstep is "The Q Guide to Charlie's Angels" sent to me by author Mike Pingel; I immediately am immersed in it and am gonna share some little tidbits now while reserving the right to share a few more in the near future.

Cheryl Ladd tried to answer Mike's question about why "Angels" resonated so strongly with gays: "I have tons of gay friends and never once have I asked that particular question of them. Which is really interesting. I knew they loved the show, I knew they loved me. But I never asked what it was about the show that they felt so drawn to. I believe it was because it was fun and a little glamorous and we were everyone's best friends, we were such grown-up Girl Scouts. I think everyone thought they'd be so fun to hang out with and go on adventures with us. We were fun girls."

Mike has interviews with Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl. Tanya Roberts too but she was only in season five and I think, by that time, we didn't care as much. The first three seasons are the ones we remember most - it just wasn't the same after Kate left.

Farrah left after season one but in a legal settlement, made three guest appearances in seasons three and four. She talked about what it was like to come back: "On my return episodes, I was excited to see the girls. It was fun and shocking how easily we slipped back into our pecking order of which girl said what and my teasing with Kate (Jackson) and Jaclyn. We had our own little clique and after all that time had passed, the court and the whole big deal, they were happy to see me. Of course, they never wanted me to leave. I actually was so happy the show continued to do well, so I didn't feel guilty about leaving it. Cheryl came in and was instantly likeable and that's to her credit."

Her bond with Kate and Jaclyn remains: "It was just a good chemistry mix and really to this day whenever we see each other, which is often, we go right back into it, sort of giggly, gossipy about what's going on in our lives."

Earlier post:
-- New "Charlie's Angels" book offer a fun "gay" look at the 70s detective series...

I don't know about you, but i used to be obsessed with figuring out why I was gay. That was then. Now? Notsomuch. Since I wouldn't want to change a thing, it's not such an important question to me personally. But I do not think, not for a single second, that it is a choice.

Still, it's an intriguing question and John Barrowman is going to delve into it on a British TV show this month as one of three celebrities who go on a mission to discover the source of their defining trait, talent or characteristic. With the help of scientific testing, the latest psychology techniques, brain science and genetics, they attempt to answer a question that affects everyone - how do nature and nurture shape us?

John, who has been convinced that he was born gay and firmly believes that homosexuality is not a choice, undertakes a series of tests including a DNA examination that is compared with his straight brother's,

"It's not going to change who I am," he told The Guardian. "I always said, if the outcome is you're born this way, I'm going to be ecstatic. If the outcome is that it's something that happens to you, a trauma or it's your choice, I will have to reflect and think about that, but it's not going to change who I am because I like who I am."

The BBC 1 show, "The Making of Me," airs on July 24. Check your local listings.

This is an interview Metro Velvet" conducted with "A Chorus Line" star Nick Adams, the guy with a body that intimidated even Mario Lopez. Nick said he and Mario worked out together sometimes during the time they performed together. But he wasn;t doing cardio because "the show is such a wonderful workout in itself. I don't need any cardio besides this. It's enough. It's more than enough."

On his acting aspirations: "I just always knew this was it. I didn't have aspirations for doing anything else."

He cast in "Chicago" two weeks after moving to New York.

"to get to do it and have it be my dream," he said. "I would do it for free."

This is an image that appears in Vanity Fair of Sean Penn in character as Harvey Milk from the upcoming drama "Milk."

I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie, directed by Gus Van Sant and currently in post-production. The movie tells the story of California's first openly gay elected official - a San Francisco supervisor who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White.

The film is set for limited release in the U.S. on Nov. 26.

How does an attention whore like me forget to post pictures of himself with the biggest star in daytome television, Susan Lucci, and with the hilarious Sherri Shepherd of "The View."

These are from SOAPNet's pre-Emmy Awards party last month.

After spending 13 years behind the bar on "Cheers" and six seasons as a grumpy doc on "Becker," Ted Danson has one of the most successful sitcom records of anyone in television.

So what is he doing for an encore?

The 60-year-old star is playing corrupt billionaire/family man Arthur Frobisher - who may or may not be dead - on the FX drama "Damages."

"I bring baggage with me, it's Ted, it's good old Ted who makes us laugh and smile," he said Tuesday. "So the balance of doing that while you're in the backseat of an Escalade with a hooker snorting cocaine and having somebody killed is kind of an interesting dynamic. You really want to hate this guy but part of you doesn't abandon your memories of 'Cheers.' My baggage makes it complex."

Ted joined fellow "Damages" cast members for a brief panel at the Television Critics Association tour in Beverly Hills and joked that he only seems to play bad guys when he works with Glenn Close, the series' star. They had previously played a married couple in 1983's "Something About Amelia" and Danson's character was molesting their daughter.

"When you're in your 30s, it's easier to be the easy-going womanizing bartender. When you're in your 60s, this is way more fun."

He was apparently killed off at the end of last season. But since he returns on a recurring basis, it's not known if he survived the hit put on him or if it is in flashbacks or a as a ghost.

"I always thought it would be interesting to bring in new fresh meat for (Glenn's) character to devour so I didn't expect to be coming back," he said. "But I'm thrilled to be working with fun, talented, creative people is just a ball - really lovely."

The Emmy winner is also doing a recurring role as himself on Larry David's HBO sitcom "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

"It's Larry's world so he just assumes that when he picks up the phone, we will come. And we do. The phone rings and for some sad reason, I'm available and I'm off to do 'Curbed' or 'Damages.'"

Republican Presidential nominee John McCain really struck my last good nerve when he said in a recent article that "I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption."

PFLAG, "disappointed and saddened by McCain's remarks jumped all over him with Executive Director Jody M. Huckaby saying, in part: "In a country where more than 125,000 children are waiting for foster parents, Senator McCain would deny loving homes to children who desperately need them simply because of an outdated prejudice about what a family may look like."

"Love makes a family, but short-sighted positions like Senator McCain's can certainly tear families apart, too. Senator McCain's position is out of synch with the research and science and out of step with what is in the best interests of children waiting for a home and a family."

McCain ends up looking really bad in this. So, of course, his director of communications Jill Hazelbaker sent out a statement of clarification which I don't think really helps much: "...He was not endorsing any federal legislation. McCain's expressed his personal preference for children to be raised by a mother and a father wherever possible. However, as an adoptive father himself, McCain believes children deserve loving and caring home environments, and he recognizes that there are many abandoned children who have yet to find homes. McCain believes that in those situations that caring parental figures are better for the child than the alternative."

I'm here at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for my first of five days or so of the Television Crtiics Association tour. Today is FX day and Glenn Close, Ted Danson, William Hurt and the rest of the cast of "Damages" just left the stage. Glenn was wearing a really tight skirt and I was standing behind her as she walked down the steps of the stage and my first thought was: "That's like the skirt she wore in the courtroom scene of "Jagged Edge" !!!

I'm so gay.

Anyway, now we are hearing from the cast of the new series "Sons of Anarchy." and I had to quickly post that one of the leads in the show is Charlie Hunnam! He has been good in many movies and who you may know best from the original British version of "Queer As Folk." He played the Justin part, don;t know what his name was. Update: I'm told his character was Nathan.

I'll update this post later..Charlie's show also stars Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman.

It was great to see a full house at the Directors Guild of America Theatre last night because the more people who got to experience the first public screening of the restored version of the landmark documentary "Word Is Out: Stories of Our Lives" the better.

We laughed, we cried and I'm sure most people are still today thinking about the movie and the 26 people featured who opened up in front of the camera about their lives; their struggles, their quiet triumphs. What an eclectic group - wonderful group. All so different from each other. Some of the stories were chilling: the man who was sent to an institution and given shock therapy after he confessed to his wife that he was gay; the woman who lost custody of her children because she was living with her lover; the woman who willingly spent four years as a teenager in a mental hospital in an effort to not be gay, and on and on.

These people break your heart at times then warm it with their resilience, their humor and their incredible perspective. The movie was released in 1978 and has a positive feeling to it because the sense was that LGBT people had come quite a ways and it would only continue to get better.

Then came AIDS.

It is impossible to watch "Word Is Out" and not reflect on your own journey. It may or may not have been as harrowing as some of the people in the film but I'm certain it was not an easy one.

The restored version of the film is supposed to have a theatrical release sometime later this year with a DVD release in early 2009. What's even better is the DVD catches up with some of the living subjects 30 years later. We got a glimpse of that footage.

I am so excited for everyone to see this movie. To learn more about the film and to keep track of its release plans, go to the WordIsOut website.

Last week I shared the Men's Journal magazine cover of Olympic swimmers Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte in nothin' but their speedos. Well, how 'bout a few of the inside shots to get our day going?

Today is Linda Ronstadt's 62nd birthday. She has long been one of my faves with that beautiful voice and eagerness to explore different musical genres. Above is her version of Tom Petty's "The Waiting" from her 1995 "Feels Like Home" album which I love.

I hate to say this, but I watched "As the World Turns" today and the least interesting part of it was Luke and Noah. Holden is flying off to NYC to interrupt Carly's trip with some French dude and there was a shirtless scene involving a hot young doctor whose name I don;t remember. He got some chick kicked out of the nursing program and now got her back in and he is just beautiful.

Oh yeah, Luke and Noah. Yaaaaaaawn

They were getting all cozy and almost kissing again when Luke's mom brings a letter in from his biological father, some rich Italian dude named Damien who Luke apparently hates. I don't have enough back story.

Anyway, since Noah's dad is currently missing at sea, why not bring in some other parental monster to prevent from Luke and Noah from getting to develop their relationship even a little bit more. Gotta give the gay characters the road blocks.

Luke doesn't want to read the letter (I'm so bored I can barely type this recap) but his spunky grandma Lucinda (who I really like!) just gras it from him, says, "I really don't understand this lack of curiosity and tears the damed thing open.

She tells her grandson: "I think dear old dad wants to make amends in a biiiig way."

Luke doesn't want the Grimaldi money (there's a Grimaldi family involved here?) and says: "I don't care if it's a fortune, It's dirty money ... if he wants a father-son relationship that's not gonna happen."
Sorry, i fell asleep, Okay, the last scene has Luke and Noah having coffee (what else?) and Luke tells his "lover" that he's gonna take the dough and use it for some good, He wants to open some kind of facility to help sick kids and their families while the kids are getting treatment. Sounds like the Ronald McDonald House to me. He's doing it so Noah can be a do-gooder and not have to join the Amry to feel like he's contributing to society.

How bout this Luke: you take the money, dump Noah, and take a trip to Europe or to LA and meet some guys a lot more fun than Noah. Noah is always gonna have an issue. I bet next week he's gonna wanna become a woman.

Stay tuned.

That Tony Awards hosting gig last month musta given Whoopi Goldberg the Broadway bug again.

Whoopi said this morning on "The View" that she is going to be spending her month off from the morning chatfest in August as a cast member of the musical "Xanadu."

"I always wanrt to be on a stage somewhere and I wanted something fun," Whoopi said. "If I have vacation, it's dangerous."

Whoopi's role in the roller-skating musical "Xanadu" is as one of the show's evil sisters, Caliope. Her previous Broadway stints were her own one-woman show as well as in revivals of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

She begins her six-week "Xanadu" run on July 29.

If you are in the LA area and care at all about LGBT film history, get a ticket to tonight's Outfest Legacy Project Gala. It showcases the restoration premiere of the gay classic "Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives."

OK, so restoration premiere doesn't turn you on? It didn't me either when I half-heartedly went to last year's gala where "Parting Glances" was screened. It was absolutely my favorite night of the entire festival. So this year, my expectations are high and I feel confident enough to recommend you go since so much love and care goes into preserving these films about out history.

"Word is Out" is a landmark documentary created by a group of young filmmakers in 1978 and the second feature film restored by the Outfest Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation. The filmmakers capture the innocence and charm of 26 people - ranging in age from 18 to 77, from San Francisco to New Mexico to Boston, from beehived housewife to sultry drag queen.

In 1978, the San Francisco Chronicle's John Wasserman wrote that the film was the "most intelligent, telling cinematic look to date at the homosexual experience in America, but beyond that, it is quite funny and speaks not only to the homosexual, but to all of us who have experienced the pain of being different; which is to say, all of us."

Outpass holders will need a seperate ticket to this event. A VIP TICKET costs $50 and includes admission to the 7 p.m. VIP pre-party at the DGA Heineken Green Room. General admission tickets are $30 and includes admission to the 10:30 p.m. Gala After-Party (DGA Lobby). Proceeds from this special event will benefit The Outfest Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation, a collaboration between Outfest and the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

For more information about Outfest, the 26th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - which runs July 9-21 - go to Outfest.org

I really hate when I sit through an event, see things with my own eyes, hear things with my own ears, take notes and then read a bogus version of what went down somewhere else. In this case, I'm talking about an item in today's Page Six column that appears in the New York Post. It states: "MAMMA Mia!" actress Amanda Seyfried and her screen "fiancé," Dominic Cooper, disappointed gay activists in LA who were expecting their participation in Outfest, a film festival for the homosexual and transgender sets.

I didn't realize I was part of the homosexual "set" but anyway, the sell-out audience was absoilutely charmed by Amanda who was a surprise guest and who was adorable as she introduced the film.

The Page Six piece states that Amanda had not done red carpet interviews as planned or pose for pictures. I don't know if that was ever part of the plan but even if it was, I don't think the "homosexual and transgender sets" felt at all dissed by this young actress who showed up and was given a wild ovation.

It is a truly special film.

Described as something like a John Hughes film that couldn't be made in the "Pretty In Pink" era, "Chance" is set in the 1980s and follows the first year at a new school of an already 'out' and eccentric teenager named Chance (Tad Hilgenbrink). He is the kind of personality every closeted gay kid wishes he had the guts to be in high school. He puts up with a homophobic bully and with his wit and manages to make him look foolish in the end.

He also ends up with an eclectic circle of friends that include an outcast guy (Pieter Van Nieuwenhuyze) and girl (Aldevina da Silva), a straight jock (Brett Chuckerman) who is surprisingly gay friendly and the school drag queen (Danny Calander).

I got caught up in the wonderful spirit of the film which is cast with good actors - especially Hilgenbrinck who does a wonderful job as the title character. This movie is his second film. He made his debut in the popular DVD release "American Pie Presents: Band Camp" in which he played the younger brother of Stifler, the character originated by Sean William Scott in the "American Pie" trilogy. Chuckerman, best known so far for his role in "Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds," is even better in this film - very appealing.

Major kudos to writer-director Russell P. Marleau for what he has accomplished. Loved it! The film can be purchased thru TLAvideo or Amazon.com and will be available for rental through Blockbuster and Netflix.

Here's the trailer:

And here's a terrific kiss scene:

Why do Republican presidential candidates insist that gay people be second class citizens? John McCain has just motivated me to put a Barack Obama sign in my yard with his latest comment to the New York Times regarding gay adoption: "I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption."

Both parents? If a gay couple adopts a kid, the kid has BOTH parents. And why make these kinds of sweeping statements? We know there are a lot of screwed up kids out there who have a mother and father and terrific kids of a single parent or of a grandparent. It's about the love the kid gets, the attention, the opportunities etc.

I know some gay Republicans, some of them are cool people who I like. But how can any self-respecting gay person vote for this guy?

Happy birthday to the incredible actress, Jane Lynch.

There may still be plenty of stars who are choosing to remain in the closet, but Jane is not one of them. Since co-starring in "Best of Show," her star has been on a steady rise with so many memorable roles including Steve Carell's boss in "The 40 Year Old Virgin," Will Ferrell's 's mom in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" and a hilarious send-up of a Mary Hart-type anchor in "For Your Consideration." She next appears with Meryl Streep in the film "Julia & Julie/"

I did an interview with Jane last week at Outfest opening night and will share it with you later this week.

Best wishes to an actor who is out and proud - and one of the hoittest 40 year olds in town!

Here is part of an interview I did earlier this year with Robert Gant:

For years, Gant was cast as "the boyfriend" on such shows as "Caroline in the City" and "Friends" and had a recurring role on the cult favorite "Popular" as the young high school principal who all the female students were in love with. He had no trouble being convincing in these straight roles then decided to take on the part of a gay college professor in the groundbreaking Showtime series "Queer as Folk."

Early on in the show's five-year run, Gant decided to come out publicly. several years before such young stars as T.R. Knight, Neil Patrick Harris, Lance Bass and Luke Macfarlane followed suit.

"We're starting to cross the frontier in lots of different ways with Neil Patrick Harris' (womanizing) character on 'How I Met Your Mother,' so we're able to go there comedically," Robert said. "We are moving toward it. It's exciting to see Neil play that kind of a role. I see that as part of the frontier happening.

"I've been crossing many of my own frontiers in my life, now I'm encountering what I believe to be the last real frontier in Hollywood which is what it means of an openly gay leading man type actor playing a romantic straight role."

Just got back from the Fairfax theatre where I saw three movies today, interviewed directors and actors and got asked out on a date. Not a bad day at the office. We are now five days into Outfest and I have seen 21 of the movies - nine with audiences and 12 on DVD. It's been such a wonderful treat to be immersed in all of this gay cinema.

I'll highlight some of the movies I've seen. If you don't live in LA, you might be wondering why I'm sharing all of this with you since you aren;t attending the festival. Well, if you live in a big city like San Diego, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Miami or even Palm Springs, there is an LGBT festival sometime during the year and some of these films might be there. Also, more and more and being released on DVD so you buy or rent some of these titles once they become available.

Sadly, as good as many of them are, we aren;t likely to see them outside the art house theaters.

FASHION VICTIMS: ****
OK, my favorite movie of the seven I saw over the weekend surprised me a lot because I went in with zero expectations: it's a hilarious German film called "Fashion Victims." It was just an absolute treat and combines a coming- out tale with screwball comedy and poignant family drama.

Karsten (Florian Bartholomäi, who is a dead ringer for Adam Brody) has his holiday in Spain with his teenage friends ruined when circumstances force him to become a driver for his obnoxious, clothing salesman father (Edgar Selge). Then things grow more complicated and hilarious when Karsten strikes up a flirtation with handsome Steven (Roman Knizka), his father's chief competitor.Just a terrific movie and very funny.

CLAPHAM JUNCTION: ***
This is a British film that initially is most noteworthy because it reunites James Wilby and Rupert Graves, the two stars of the gay classic "Maurice." Gee, couldn't Hugh Grant at least have done a cameo? But this is no "Maurice" and for anyone put off by violence, there are at least two very violent scenes involving gay bashing in this film. The film is also quite graphic sexually as it looks at gay men in contemporary London whose lives intersect during a 36-hour period. The acting is first-rate, the movie pulls no punches and is not afraid to explore the darker side of people who on the outside, are living "normal" lives.

THE LOST COAST: **1/2
Former high school pals Jasper, Mark and Lily reunite for one last booze-fueled adventure - Halloween night in the Castro - before Jasper marries his college girlfriend. Beneath the revelry lies Jasper ( Ian Scott McGregor) and Mark's (Lucas Alifano) undeniable magnetism; there is an undertow to their relationship pulling them back to memories and feelings neither has resolved. Lily is played by Lindsay Benner whose Halloween costume is one of the most interesting visuals in the film.

Written and directed by Gabriel Fleming, the film was shot over a period of five months on evenings and weekends in San Francisco and around (including on Halloween Night) without permits. It's pretty good guerilla filmmaking! Fleming said after the screening that McGregor was cast first but it is Alifano, in his first movie role out of acting school, who is so natural and charismatic, you wonder why he was/is still attracted to Jasper who is so sullen. Lucas can currently be seen playing "BJ" in the award-winning CBS web series Ghost Whisperer: The Other Side 2.

Still, it's an interesting film and you stay with it even if the ending didn't feel very satisfying because it is left quite vague whether this is a happy ending or not. Go to www.thelostcoastmovie.com to see what festivals it is playing in next - the film is booked intoi quite a few. Here is the trailer:

FRIENDS AND LOVERS: **1/2
Just the name Maurice Jamal alone provokes interest from me because he wrote and directed "Dirty Laundry," one of the better films I've seen at Outfest in recent years. Maurice returned to the festival Sunday with "Friends and Lovers," a sequel of sorts to his "Ski Trip."

There were technical difficulties at the start so Maurice - in his tradmark Mohawk haircut - took to the stage and talked about his movie which, he admitted, he has shot some last-minute footage for just last week! Because "Ski Trip" was so popular as it aired endlessly on Logo, this film serves as a pilot for a series he hopes will be on the air by the fall. He shot the film in 13 days and locals can recognize such spots as Java Detour next to The Abbey and A Different Light bookstore on Santa Monica Boulevard.

Part romantic comedy, part drama, the story follows the lives, loves and mishaps of three diverse couples living in Los Angeles, and their eccentric circle of friends. Maurice is among the cast members. I would love to see this become a series!

THE WAY I SEE THINGS **After the unexpected death of his longtime boyfriend, Otto's world has fallen apart. Hoping to snap him out of his funk, his buddy Rob drags him on a cross-country road trip, but Otto escapes and winds up at a new-agey commune where members are encouraged to get in touch with their "authentic self."

I had so many questions after the film was over. I wondered if I was just not getting it - if maybe I wasn't sophisitcated enough or something. But several others in the audience were also scratching their heads. i don't mind thought-provoking stuff but after spending all that time with the characters, I didn't appreciate walking out of there wondering who was who, who was real, what was a flashback, what was present.

What really saved it some for me was just how funny the commune speak was. The leaders would talk in a cadence that would make whatever they were saying sound so wise but really, they are saying nothing. It's pretty brilliant actually.

For more information about Outfest, the 26th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - which runs July 9-21 - go to Outfest.org

James Roday is gonna go ahead and admit it: he just woke up.

The star of USA Network's "Psych" called from Vancouver Friday morning to talk about the premiere of the show's third season on Friday night and he's kinda punchy.

I ask how he is doing.

"Pretty damned good," he said, quickly collecting himself. "Feeling alive."

On "Psych," James plays Shawn Spencer, a man with a gift for noticing the tiniest of details who pretends to be a psychic and helps police solve crimes along with the help of his childhood friend and bantering partner Gus (Dulé Hill). He may be pretending, but he's so good at solving cases that police keep calling on him.

James. 32, said fans of the show can look forward to the best season yet.

"The first two years were fun and two guys running around and acting silly and living out their dreams," he explained. "We are just maturing as a television series. It's probably fair to say once you get into a third seaspn on any series, you aren't as nervous (about staying on the air) and can actually start thinking about longevity. What is the trajectory here? What are we going to do with these characters and learn about them? That's how we are starting to evolve."

"It's been very invigorating," he added. "We definitely bumped it up a notch, scripts have been far more ambitious. We are also swinging for the fences in terms of worlds we go into, cases we take on. We are a very ambitious group, we are swinging really hard."

He and co-star Hill came into the show from very different places. Hill had spent several years on "The West Wing" while James had a far less distinguised television record: an unaired pilot and two failed series, including NBC's "Miss Matched" which he starred Alicia Silverstone.

"I was starting to wonder if I was the kiss of death while he only knew quality and quanity," James said. "I was like, 'Dude, you don't know how this works!'"
But television wasn't even originally part of the plan for James whose background was in the theater and studied at New York University's Experimental Theatre Wing.

"I came out with a New York actor mindset and a large chip on one shoulder," he said. "You sort of see yourself doing theater for no money by day and bartending by night and being part of a fraterntiy of artists who throw commerce out the window. That was me for about five-and-a-half years until I got my first paying gig and that sent me to LA."

He is currently in a relationship with "Psych" co-star Maggie Lawson and said the mixing of the personal and the professional has, in this case, "been a gift."

"For anyone in our industry, one of the toughest things about having a relationship is how much time you get to see each other. The fact that we see each other every day no matter what has really worked out nicely for us. She's such a great girl. She makes what I do so much easier and so much more enjoyable."

The solid relationship has made it easier to navigate his elevation as a television sex symbol. James was named one of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People of 2007 and has been trying to live it down since.

"The photo shoot was in some really expensive house in the hills. I felt so uncomfortable that day! At the same time, I was flattered and everybody was really nice. But I don't know if I will ever live that one down with my closest friends. Anyone who knows me at all knows I have no style."

...Broadway star (and stud) Cheyenne Jackson who turned 33 today! He makes us proud by being an openly gay perfomer as he basks ib the success of the Tony Award nominated musical "Xanadu."

Cheyenne earned a 2008 Drama Desk Award nomination for outstanding actor in a musical In June 2007 for a role he assumed less than a week before the scheduled opening night,. He replaced actor James Carpinello who had been injured during rehearsal.

The performer also starred in the 2005 musical "All Shook Up" and won the 2005 Theatre World Award for outstanding Broadway debut. He had previosly understudied the leads in ."Thorougfly Modern Millie" and " Aida." In film, Cheyenne won praise for his performance as Mark Bingham in "United 93."

Next up: a New York production of "Damned Yankees."

When the movie "54" was released 10 years ago, it was a commercial and critical flop. It starred Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayak and Breckin Meyer as three young people working at New York's famed Studio 54. It also starrred Mike Myers in one olf the best performers of his career as club owner Steve Rubell, Neve Campbell as a soap star and Sela Ward as a recording industry executive who frequents the place and get involved with Phillippe's character.He literally screws her unconscious.

The movie, written and directed by Mark Christopher, chronicled the rise and fall of the famed NYC hotspot of the 1970s where the likes of Liza Minneli, Bianca Jagger, Andy Warhol, and other A-listers could be seen partying night after night But the movie released by Miramax was far different than the director's original version which was screened last night at the Fairfax theater to the delight of a sold-out crowd that had come to see a "secret showing" of an unnamed film.

"What an amazing night foir me," Christopher told the crowd before the film started. "It's been 10 years coming and I didn't think it would ever come."

So how different is the directior's cut? VERY. And it's MUCH better and much more gay! Phillippe's character is bisexual in this superior version and shares screen kisses with several men, including Breckin Meyer who since this movie, has been one of Phillippe's closest friends off-screen.

The skittish studio had seen this terrific 1 hour and 45 minutes cut and demanded that 45 minutes of it be cut and that additional scenes be shot to beef up what had been essentially a brief fling between Phillippe and Campbell into more of a full-blown relationship.

Big mistake. Christopher's original version is such a better film because it chronicles the club's fall along with Phillippe's personal journey. It reminded me a little bit of "Saturday Night Fever" and I was thinking about what would have happened to THAT movie if some studio folks decided it needed serious re-shooting.

Anyway, ss an added treat, we also get to see a bit more of the beautiful Cameron Mathison of "All My Children" and "Dancing With the Stars" fame who was only seen briefly in the studio version. His character is gay! We did not know this from before. But in the director's cut, he's in a relationship with one of the other bartenders and they even share a passionate kiss. Love it!
I think this film would have grossed far more than $16.6 million at the domestic box office if it had felt more complete and been more satisfying.

As far as I know, there is no deal to re-release the movie in its original form theatrically or on DVD but I hope this screening and others like it will encourage Disney, which owns the rights the Miramax library,to take advantage of this opportunity and make the money off this title that they could have a decade ago. They have a really good film on their hands with terriffic performaces by big stars. Phillippe is absolutely beautiful in the movie and Meyer is so good that it's criminal that he's been stuck in "Garfield" movies.

Both he, and the film, deserve more.

There are five movies that are part of the Outfest series "Outing Politics" and the first to screen is "Karl Rove, I Love You" at 7 p.m. in DGA 1. I watched a screening of the movie last weekend and found it to be very clever, very smart.

Here is a synopsis: What happens when the role of a lifetime becomes the love of your life? Dan Butler (Bulldog on "Frasier") and his friends play themselves in this witty satirical film about "an unknown supporting actor" obsessed with Karl Rove. Butler's research on Rove leads him first to anger, then mania and ultimately to put on a one-man show. His show is a huge success and Butler gets so deep into the character that reality and fiction blur.

Dan Butler and Phil Leirness along with cast will appear at a Q&A after the screening
Several hours before "Rove," Butler will be among those participating in the "Queer State of the Nation" panel. On the eve of the 2008 presidential election, with issues like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and marriage equality set to return to the table, moderator Kyle Buchanan (writer for The Advocate) and panelists will tackle where we are politically and what's at stake for the next four years.

Other panelists are Jeremy Bernard (Obama Campaign Fundraiser and LGBT Liason, B&G Associates), Rick Jacobs (Chair and Founder, The Courage Campaign), and Sheila Kuehl (California State Senator, District 23).

The event starts at 2 p.m. in DGA 2.

For more information about Outfest, the 26th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - which runs July 9-21 - go to Outfest.org

I don't know about you, but I think Val Kilmer is the sexiest Batman of all time. When he had on the Batman mask, those lips had me transfixed! I was already smitten with him from the days of "Top Gun" and always find his performances interesting. I've met Val at a few premieres but had never interviewed him until this week. He is the subject of my Sunday column in the LA Daily News and I am giving you all an advance look:

Val Kilmer is quick to note the irony that his latest film, the gritty prison drama "Felon," is being released on Friday - the same day as the latest Batman movie "The Dark Knight."

Christian Bale plays the caped crusader for the second time, a role Val played in 1995's "Batman Forever." He succeeded Michael Keaton in the original set of films and preceded George Clooney.

"I really liked it, the last one," he said of 2006's "Batman Begins." "I wanted it to be me and Clooney and Michael Keaton to be in the next Batman movie together. We can be the bad guys."

There were couple of misconceptions that Val, 48, wanted to clear up when we talked last week: he has no plans to play David Lee Roth in a film ("Why? Why? Why would do that?") and he gained all that weight that resulted in a run of tabloid photos for "Felon."
"I'm determined to stalk the paparazzi in Malibu and show my torso," he joked. "I got a lot of (overweight) pictures out there. You can't chase after these guys and say: 'It's for a movie!'"

In "Felon," Val plays a prison legend at Corcoran State Prison named John Smith who basically has nothing left to lose and acts accordingly.With the extra weight, a heavy mustache and countless tattoos, the handsome actor is barely recognizable.

"The old-time lifers have the big heavy mustache and one of the reasons they have it is because (inmates) read lips," he explained.

Val is "really pleased and satisfied" with the film and its authentic recreation of prison life. But he almost wasn't in the movie at all.

"I actually turned the studio down because I wanted to be in a nice, light-hearted comedy. But the research (by director Ric Roman Waugh) was so compelling. It feels like you must imagine it's like in prison. I think it's easy to say you don't want to go to prison."
Val made his splash in the mid-80s with the films "Real Genius" and "Top Gun," was a sensation as rock star Jim Morrison in "The Doors" and starred in "Willow," "True Romance" and "Tombstone" before he was tapped to play Batman.

The movie was a huge box office hit but Val walked away from the franchise to star in an eclectic mix of films including "The Saint," "Heat," "The Ghost and the Darkness," "The Island of Dr. Moreau," "Red Planet," "The Salton Sea," and "Alexander."

Despite his leading man looks, he has always considered himself a character actor.

"I think of Jim Morrison as a character role - he was an extreme character. Even my first movies, I'm nothing like those guys. So I don't really feel like I'm becoming a character actor, it's really just acting. But it is more fun for me now because I know how to do it better."

Proof that was Val has never been better came in the criminally overlooked "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" which he starred in with Robert Downey Jr.
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"I wish we had gotten better distribution," he lamented.

\But he is glad there are still good roles like that out there and plenty of directors he'd like to work with.

"When I was younger, I was pretty interested in challenging myself tom explore acting so I did whatever I was interested in - that's why I think I have such an eclectic group of movies," he said. "Now, I think more about the director. It's a director's medium and I understand now that I'm older that you don't turn down great directors."

The first time Margot Kidder saw a movie being made, she was just 16 and happened upon a cast and crew on a location shoot in her native Canada.

She stood and watched for a really long time and thought about what it would be like to be a part of that process. She found out in a big way when she was cast as Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve in the original series of "Superman" films.

"I've always had a wonderful time making movies," Margot said recently. "I love the process, yacking with the crew around the Crafts (Services) table. I love working and don't think in terms of the end result as you can tell if you look at some of my movies!"

Although Margot appeared in all four of the "Superman" films of the late 70s and 80s, she didn't have a whole lot of success on the big screen other than the original "The Amityville Horror," the Richard Pryor drama "Some Kind of Hero" and "The Great Waldo Pepper" starring Robert Redford.

But she always found work on television. There had the juicy lead role in the 1987 miniseries "Shell Game" and followed that with starring roles in "Body of Evidence," "To Catch a Killer," "White Room" and "Mob Story."

"I love working but I was a dreadful planner as you can tell by my career," she said. "I didn't have any sense of (career path) at all which I sort of regret now at my age. I tend to grab things depending on the character. I'm almost 60 and in the position where if I get an offer, it's thrilling. They all go to Meryl Streep and Jessica Lange and Sally Field for the most part."

A car accident in 1992 left her in severe neck pain and in debt and she also has battled bipolar disorder which she has had under control since a widely-publicized breakdown in the mid-90s.

Margot, who turns 60 in October, and has a take me as I am feeling toward acting.

"There aren't a lot (of parts) when you get to be my age if you refuse to have facelifts," she said. "They'd run me out of Montana! You don't need a facelift in Montana."

Even without a facelift, Margot has kept working in television. she returned to her "Superman" roots with two guest spots on "Smallville" and more recently appeared as Sally Field's best friend on "Brothers and Sisters."

"I had a wonderful time but I was a nervous wreck. I couldn't remember my lines. I wasn't up to snuff. I was just very nervous when I did it. Maybe I can be a running acharacter though. I love that show. What's nice about it is they portray women our age as being our age, the way we really are."

Her latest movie is the crime mystery "On the Other Hand, Death" opposite Chad Allen. Margot plays a lesbian high school guidance counselor who is being run out of town by unknown forces.

"I just loved the script, it was very witty and a great mystery," Margot said of the film which begins airing on Here! TV on July 25.

This is a time when the experience of making the film was positive and resulted in a finished product that she is awfully proud of.

That is not always the case.

"The experience of making a movie or TV show involves a lot of things from the script to who the crew is," she said. "Sometimes you can have a great time on a really bad movie or a miserable time on a movie that ends up being good."

ONLINE BONUS:
On playing a lesbian: "Have I ever played a lesbian before?," she wondered. "Gosh, I don't remember. Maybe I have somewhere. I have sort of a butch-like presence anyway. I asked, 'Am I butch enough?' They said, 'Oh yeah, you are."

On working with Chad Allen: "Oh my God, he's Mr. divine. He's so wonderful and he's so present. When you work with him, he's right there in the moment in a way that's rare and makes work very easy. He's a real star that kid."

After winning both Wimbledon and the French Open in a span of four weeks, Rafael Nadal is spending his time in his hometown of Mallorca. Here he is (above) trying to even out his tan with his girlfriend Xisca Perello and (below) taking a dip.

For two years running, Olympic skier and football player Jeremy Bloom won the Outsports.com "King of the Hardwood" contest for hottest athlete of the year. Well, Bloom is even more buff than usual in these pics I just saw on Kennethinthe212. Jeremy has just been picked up by the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers as a wide receiver. I might be following football a little closer in the fall!

Outsports.com CEO Jim Businski told me last year of Bloom: "We did an interview with Bloom and he was flattered, but wanted to be thought of as more than a pretty face."

Still, Bloom's website has a wide array of photos of the athlete and plenty of them feature him shirtless: "He showed a lot of skin and was not bashful about it," says Buzinski.

In the photos below, it's a pre-bulked up Jeremy. Either way, he is drop-dead gorgeous.

This Time Magazine video has some fun stuff in it. The "Project Runway" judge answers quickly when asked what the worst fashion trend is: "The era of the Croc. It looks like a plastic hoof."

Then he compares the styles of First Lady candidates: "Michelle Obama looks so comfortable and relaxed inb her style and her fashion...Cindy McCain looks like someone twisted her ponytail too tight and tried to give her a facelift."
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Knock me over with a feather. Meryl Streep has managed to, once again, astonish. Is there no end to this woman's amazing talent?

Outfest attendees got to see Meryl's musical "Mamma Mia" a week or so early Thursday night during two sold out showings at the DGA Theatre. I was igddy with excitement but running late for the 7 p.m. screening. But the musical gods were watching over me as I was the second-to-the-last car let in to the DGA parking structure before it was declared full and I was the very last Outpass holder let in under the 15 minute rule. If you are a passholder and don't arrive at least 15 minutes early, you have to wait in line with the other ticket holders which could mean a crummy seat.
We were treated to an appearance of one of the film's stars, Amanda Seyfried, who was given an ovation as she ran onto the stage to charmingly introduce the movie. Amanda is a real talent who plays Meryl's daughter in the movie - the daughter getting married who invites the three men who could potentially be her father to the wedidng. T^hey are played Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard.

Pierce cannot sing, let's face it. But he doesn't try too often, thankfully. This is the ladies' show all the way. In a bit of brilliant casting, Meryl is joined by two-time Tony winner and Emmy winner Christine Baranski and Oscar nominee Julie Walters who play her best friends.

What a delicious trio!

The movie was shot in the Greek isles so it is visually quite brilliant. And except for a dip in energy about midway through, the movie really zips along. I liked it more than "Hairspray," "Chicago" and maybe even "Dreamgirls" which I loved.

The reason is Meryl. Magical Meryl. When she is standing on the rocks by the water singing "The Winner Takes It All" to Brosnan, i don't think she has ever been more beautiful, more brilliant. It is kind of a Jennifer Hudson "And I'm Telling You, I'm Not Going" moment and it is breathtaking.

Other standout numbers include Walters dancing on the table tops singing "Take A Chance On Me" to Skarsgard, a wonderful "Mamma Mia" led by Meryl, "I Have A Dream" by Seyfried, and group numbers "Dancing Queen," and 'SOS."

You don't have to be an ABBA fan or to have seen the show on stage to absolutely enjoy this film. I promise.

Happy Friday!

Sorry I haven't posted yet today but I had an inrterview with that handsome James Roday, the star of USA network;s "Psych." He is as smart and articulate as he is good looking and I'll have that interview for you later today.

Also coming up today:

-- My review of "Mamma Mia" which I saw last night at Outfest in a theatre packed with gay people.

-- An interview with Margot Kidder who stars opposite Chad Allen in the latest "Donald Strachey" movie for Here! TV.

And that's just for starters!!! Stay tuned...

I'm bringing out the big guns for this. Why am I posting a gratuitous beefcake shot of Channing Tatum today? Because, frankly, I need the hits. You see, I'm used to Out In Hollywood being the most popular non-sports blog on the DailyNews.com roster.

But this morning, I got my daily report and my pal Julia Scott and her The Bargain Hunter blog edged past me for the second time in recent months. The first time I figured was a fluke. But TWICE? She is nipping at my heels and I am feeling the pressure! Until I can hold back the challenge, I may have resort to these kinds of desperate measures!

Julia's blog marked its one-year anniversary on July 3 and I am very impressed with how popular it is and how hard she works. Check out her site if ya wanna save a few bucks! And there are plenty of other great sites at Daily News Blog Central.

The red carpet outside the Orpheum Theatre was a real scene last night and I did my best to try and take it all in on opening night of Outfest 2008, the 26th Annual Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

Here it is, as it unfolded:

I chatted with Margaret Cho which was the highlight for me - especially when she did some of her hilarious impressions of her mother for me. Then there was Jane Lynch who is getting to be a bigger star every time I see her. She is beloved by the LGBT community. Ben Shenkman, one of the stars of the opening night film "Breakfast With Scot" arrived early and was my first celebrity interview of the night.Wilson Cruz and Darryl Stephens did the red carpet together and caught up with both of them and talked with Charlie David and some of those involved with his film "Mulligans" which will screen next Friday night. Also gabbed with the lovely Michelle Clunie of "Queer as Folk" and J.P. Calderon of "Survivor" and "The Janice Dickerson Modeling Agency" as well as many other folks. I'll share some of the interviews in the coming days.

Margaret Cho opened the night by walking across the stage like a model and said: "I always have to work the runway a little bit, bitch." She remarked that this year's Outfest is even more exciting "\because we have marriage equality in California....Make sure that we keep this right!" She then commanded everyone to get married: "Marry a trick! Get married!"

Filmmaker Donna Deitch ("Desert Hearts") was presented with the 12th annual Outfest Achievement Award by Jane Lynch who said:"During the summer of 1990, I watched 'Desert Hearts' 117 times. For the first time in my life, I watched two women fall in love on screen."

Then came the screening of "Breakfast With Scot.' I was given a terrific seat near the front and the best part was that it was right next to John Amaechi, the former NBA player who wrote a terrific memoir last year detailing his playing days and his coming out publicly. It was good to chat with John (pictured with me, below) - all off the record - and to meet his friend, photographer Jeff Sheng who is working on a photo exhibit in connection to the Olympic Games.
The movie was a big hit with the audience. I had already seen it in January at the Palm Springs Film Festival and it was interesting how much more a gay audience reacted to the film. I think a lot of the audience members saw some of themselves in the 10-year-old kid who is at the center of the film and felt more free to laugh knowingly at his behavior than maybe a straight aiudience would. It was a good choice to open the festival with because it's a crowd pleaser.

I bailed about halfway through the movie and hung out in the lobby of the Orpheum with my publicist pal Dominic Friesen who basically knew everyone who walked by us so I met a lot of new people! Got into the after-party a bit early and was able to get a drink before there were any lines then began what was at least two full hours of schmoozing and flitting about.

Since I've been watching so many Outfest advance screeners in recent weeks, the after-party was a real treat for me as I got to meet so many of the filmmakers and performers whose work I've been enjoying so much. It was kinda surreal to be standing with two of the stars of this campy horror film "Gay Bed and Breakfast of Terror" which I thought was a hoot. I kept telling the woman who played the main killer: "I can't believe how evil you were in the movie!" Then I told the director: "The sex scene in the pool house was amazing!" Yeah, I had had a vodka and cranberry juice on an empty stomach.

Then there was just the fun of seeing friends - old and new - as I flitted about the party. I'm still so happy about seeing my old friend Justin Rudd (pictured with me, above), a Long Beach activist who recently was on the cover of Frontiers Magazine. When I was first coming out in a more public way about 10 years ago, Justin welcomed me into his circle of friends and all those Monday Night Supper Club events, parties, parades and movie nights really helped me to become more comfortable in my own skin. One of my favorite memories is when a group of us surprised Justin on his 30th birthday by kidnapping him and flying to San Francisco for the weekend. Such good times. Check out Justin;s website at JustinRudd.com to see