November 2008 Archives

Despite playing in just 36 theaters, "Milk" managed to debut in the top 10 of highest-grossing films over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The movie about the life of slain San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk was released the day before the 30th anniversary of his tragic murder at the hands of former Supervisor Dan White.

The Gus Van Sant-directed film starring Sean Penn as Milk grossed an estimated $1,866,079, according to the box office tracking firm Media By Numbers Inc.It's per theater average of $51,836 was far higher than any other film in the marketplace.

"Milk" goes into wide release on Friday. It will be interesting to see if it can become Hollywood's first gay-themed movie since "Brokeback Mountain" to become a mainstream hit.

There was a time, not that long ago, when Clay Aiken's birthday would have been ignored by this blog. But that was in the "my personal life is none of your business" era, before he appeared on the cover of People magazine earlier this year confirming what the world pretty much assumed: he is gay.

Clay also became a father for the first time this year and said he wanted to set an example for his son about living a life without lies. So happy birthday to the the "American Idol" runner-up (season two) who is a bigger star than just about any of the winners of that singing competition. He's currently appearing on Broadway in "Spamalot" and I hope there's some extra applause after each of today's show for the birthday boy.

Rosie O'Donnell had a busy time on her Rosie.com blog responding to questions about her NBC variety show which drew low ratings Wednesday and many critical pans.

Rosie answered the most pressing question: will there be more of the "Rosie Live!" hours as had been planned: "there will b no more. no ratings. bad reviews. yet still - a thrill 4 me," she wrote.

Other exchanges from her blog:

HQP Writes: So sorry Ro about no more shows - I love you to pieces, but it was too much Ed Sulivan and not enough Carol Burnett - seemed a little over produced - Hugs and yellow kisses
Rosie: we were going for ed sullivan and theres only one carol b and hey i gave it my best shot

Gloria Writes::rosie, i love you but did you have any idea, after you were done taping, just what a dud the show was?
Rosie: not til i got home and read the blog; if the bloggers didnt like it, i knew it didnt work

Christopher Writes: They're too quick to cancel shows. Glad we got to see one anyway. Why do you think it didn't work? Was it too ambitious?
Rosie: not enough rehearsal; the live part wasnt a plus; the in theater experience didnt transfer to tv; it was a pilot, meaning u try it see if it works then if they pick it up u fix it

Linda LaFrance Writes: RO I'm bummed about *Rosie Live* so 5 or 6 million peeps aren't enough 4 another shot? Loved it! What new show doesn't need tweaking???
Rosie: many people r gonna try a variety show, one will work. ellen tonight, the osbornes have one, john mayer. check them out

Mike Writes: there will b no more? u r giving up that easily? it might not have been a home run right out of the gate, but c'mon. i'm sure bloggers are giving advice on improvement. take the advice and do another!
Rosie: its up to nbc. but bad ratings and reviews usually mean no more.

Brendan Writes: i'm sorry
Rosie: it's ok

Anderson Cooper does one of his occasional pieces for "60 Minutes" tonight (remember his Beckham interview?). This time, he profiles eight-time 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps. The Silver Fox does more than ask questions though: he actually challenges Phelps to a race across the length of the pool.

Phelps admitted to not working out much since the Olympics and he also gave Anderson several advantages: he would have to swim underwater the entire time, could not use his arms and he would have to push off from the wall while Anderson dove in.

I think you can guess what happened. Says Anderson: "What does it feel like to be in a race with Michael Phelps? I couldn't tell you. He went by me so fast I never even saw him."

Here's a clip of the big race:

Watch CBS Videos Online

I received a copy of this book from author Mike Pingel lsst week and want to let you all know about a signing he has tonight (Nov. 29) @ 7:30pm

Location: Different Light Bookstore, 8853 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069

"The Q Guide to Wonder Woman"

Take a spin back to the seventies with the hit TV show and superhero Wonder Woman which starred the beautiful Lynda Carter. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the show's history and costume design. Also featuring new interviews and the first-ever series episode guide. Author Mike Pingel wraps himself with the lasso of truth to gather and uncover everything on TV's Wonder Woman!

The Q Guide to Wonder Woman includes new and exclusive interviews with producer Douglas S. Cramer and actors S. Pearl Sharp, Stella Stevens, Joan Van Ark, Clark Brandon and Charlene Tilton.

This Q guide also includes the very first-ever complete Wonder Woman episode guide. It looks at all sixty episodes of the series. The guide uncovers little known episode tips, celebrity guest stars and Wonder Woman's super toys! Pingel also gives well-known gay celebrities his Wonder Woman survey.

Pingel also released his second book, The Q Guide to Charlie’s Angels this past July.

...How 'bout a little beefcale before you head out to do more shopping? Above is our fave Ryan Reynolds after cpmpleting the NYC Marathon last month and at left is that handsome devil Brody Jenner surfing in Hawaii I think. Not sure when it was taken but am sure it's a nice photo of the reality show star.

...And finally, here is a shot of Hugh Jackman from "Australia" from OhLaLa Mag (check there for more like it!). I saw the epic film last night in Newport Beach (I'm staying down here with my firends Danny and Lorna) and just loved it. Nicole Kidman has never been more beautiful on screen and, as you can see, Hugh ain't so bad himself!

Billy Baldwin's romantic relationship with Candis Cayne on ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" has really been breakthrough TV since the lovely Candys is a transgender actress as is her character. The network has not ordered any more episodes beyond the current 13 being produced so it looks like the show will not have a third season.

Billy spoke with Advocate.com about it. Here's an excerpt:
.
Q. Your relationship with Candis Cayne on the show has been a groundbreaking story line, but at the same time, ABC has come under fire for firing Brooke Smith at Grey's Anatomy. She was playing a lesbian character, and there are accusations that ABC has "de-gayed" that show. Do you know anything about that?
A. No, but I know Brooke pretty well and love her, and her mother, Lois, used to be my publicist. I did see something pop up on the Internet about it and I wasn't sure what it was about. I mean, ABC has been better than all the other networks to the LGBT audience, by a considerable margin. If there's pressure behind the scenes, I haven't heard if that's true and where it might be coming from. I can't imagine that the network's going in and cleaning stuff up -- I think pushing the envelope and being racy in that way has worked to their advantage and I don't know why they wouldn't continue to do that. With Grey's Anatomy, had you heard about any religious groups that were protesting the network or something?

Q. I haven't, but I know people were confused by how abrupt Brooke's firing was.
A. What words did they put out on the street about it?

Q. They said the character had run its course, but then Brooke gave an interview saying it came out of nowhere and they only told her she'd be let go just before she was about to shoot what became her final episode.
A. Wow. My friendship with her is such that we bump into each other at restaurants, but I'm curious to know what happened, what her take on it is.

Q. So you never felt any network interference with your story line?
A. No. I've read production drafts that weren't released to the actors yet that were sent to the network for notes, and I've seen the differences between drafts after their notes, and I didn't notice any significant difference in my story line. Sometimes when I saw a production draft, I wouldn't even read the whole script, I'd just read the scene I was in, so I don't know if there were changes with other story lines, but if they were going to change any of them it would probably be mine. And I didn't notice any significant changes at all.

Q. How many episodes of the second season have you filmed so far?
A. We're in the middle of the 13th... I think you're in a tough position as a showrunner when you're writing a show that feels on some level like an audition for the "back nine" [episodes of the season]. If you don't have to be burdened by that or restricted like that... I don't think it affected the overall quality of the show, though. I dug the show, people dug the show, and I hope we get a shot to continue. I really do. I would do anything, I really would. I wouldn't even do nine [episodes] if they wanted, I'd do six! Just let them run in succession.

The world's most famous and popular lesbian comic (sorry Rosie) will host "Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show" on TBS tonight at 9/8c. She hosted "Ellen's Really Big Show" a year ago so this one is even bigger, get it?

Here's what is promised via the TBS site: Live music, dancers and a boatload of specialty acts will be showcased in this throwback to variety shows of the past. Here is Ellen in a fun promo.

MTV News caught up with Jackman just hours after he was anointed the "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine and took the opportunity to grill him about that weighty responsibility and whether he's been bothered by rumors about his sexuality.

Here's an excerpt and video:

MTV: How do you plan on enjoying your reign as the Sexiest Man Alive?

Hugh Jackman: I'm not resting, mate. I'm not a one-term winner here. I want two terms, three, four, something like that. Brad [Pitt]'s had two [but] never back to back. That's my goal.

MTV: You were pretty forthright with People magazine when they asked you about the three biggest rumors about you.

Jackman: Gay, gay and gay.

MTV: You said in that article that the rumors while you were playing Peter Allen in "The Boy From Oz" [on Broadway] bothered your wife. Did they ever bother you?

Jackman: Come on. No, it's ridiculous. I just think the whole idea of judging someone based on their sexuality is ridiculous. In Australia, we're much easier on all those fronts. I was playing a gay guy. I actually took it as a compliment. I probably shouldn't be saying this, but I remember when I was about 19, me and my mate used to go to these dance parties which were 80 percent gay guys, 18 percent girls who were sick of heterosexual guys hitting on them, and then vultures like me and my mate. We would go there until 2 in the morning, when the girls were really drunk and wishing they weren't with 80 percent gay guys.

MTV: So you're basically the worst kind of straight guy?

Jackman: The worst! The leech! The vulture!

Am finally emerging from a post-Thanksgiving coma. Harvey Milk is very much on my mind this morning.

In this file photo from April 1977 he and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone are shown in the mayor's office during the signing of the city's gay rights bill. Five months later, they would both be dead. Below are 1) the audio Milk left behind in the event of his assassination 2) the NBC Nightly News report on the assassinations.

You expect a variety hour to be hit and miss. But "Rosie Live!" was such a disappointment. It started off so-so with Rosie's little monologue which just wasn't funny enough then things hit their peak when she and Liza Minnelli did a fun duet of "City Lights." From there on, the only bright spots were a too-short visit from Harry Connick Jr. (why not let him sing and ENTIRE song?) and the end with Gloria Estefan. Also nice was a performance by Alannis Morrisette.

Otherwise it was odd and mostly unfunny cameos from the likes of Alec Baldwin (talking into Rosie's cleavage), Conan O'Brien, Rachael Ray and Clay Aiken. Kathy Griffin played Nancy Grace in a skit and would have been far funnier as Kathy Griffin. Then there was the talented Jane Krakowski doing a nice number except that it was built around the products audience members would be getting. Tacky.

Here is a sample:

The reviews have not been kind: The New York Times described it as "hokey comedy with an enemies list." TV Guide called it a "ghastly ego trip." And the LA Times asked, "Rosie, what on earth were you thinking?"

We know Rosie has all kinds of charm and hunor when she wants to and we saw that side of her in this show. But it just seemed like chaos going on around her most of the time. I doubt there will be another variety hour for her but if there is, why make it live? Just put together a good show - taped as live - and let us watch it.

Rosie's show drew around 5 million viewers while her former boss on "The View," Barbara Walters had news special (an interview with Barack and Michelle Obama) airing two hours later that drew more than twice that with 11 million viewers, according to preliminary viewers released Thursday.

...I'm so thankful that you check in each day. Hope you have a wonderful holiday!!!

The superstar ex-couple never made a movie together but they did appear in one of my favorite episodes of "Friends" ever. Pitt is a hoot in his Emmy-nominated guest spot that I thought you'd enjoy as you wait for that Thanksgiving dinner.

My thanks to my friend Trevor Daley for sendng along this piece from the San Francisco Chronicle by Rachel Gordon. I want to share with you today on the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Harvey Milk:

Feinstein recalls S.F.'s 'day of infamy'
San Francisco -- Thirty years after the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco City Hall, Dianne Feinstein still wonders whether she could have stopped the killings.

At the time, Feinstein was president of the Board of Supervisors and a confidante of Dan White, the ex-supervisor who quit his seat only to want it back. Moscone had plans to appoint someone else and told Feinstein the morning of the slayings. She tried to track down White to explain the decision. She never got the chance. She was sitting at her desk at City Hall and tried speaking to White as he walked by. She did not know that he had just shot and killed the mayor.

"I saw him come in. I said, 'Dan, can I talk to you?' And he went by, and I heard the door close, and I heard the shots and smelled the cordite, and I came out of my office. Dan went right by me. Nobody was around, every door was closed.

"I went down the hall. I opened the wrong door. I opened (Milk's) door. I found Harvey on his stomach. I tried to get a pulse and put my finger through a bullet hole. He was clearly dead. I remember it, actually, as if it was yesterday. And it was one of the hardest moments, if not the hardest moment, of my life," Feinstein said Tuesday. "It was a devastating moment. For San Francisco, it was a day of infamy."

Feinstein, who replaced Moscone as mayor and went on to win two terms in her own right, now is California's senior senator. She rarely has spoken publicly about the slayings. But she sat down for an hour with reporters in her San Francisco office Tuesday to recount the devastating events of Nov. 27, 1978, that shook San Francisco to the core.

On the day of the killings, Feinstein had just returned to City Hall after a three-week absence. She had gone on vacation to the Himalayas with Richard Blum, the man whom she would later marry, and had contracted dysentery. She then spent time at home recovering from the infection and an allergic reaction to antibiotics.

While abroad, she had spoken briefly to White, a colleague she said she had known well. He told her he was quitting his low-paying seat on the Board of Supervisors because the economic strain was taking too big a toll on his family. Feinstein said she told him that was the right thing to do.

But White, a conservative ex-firefighter and ex-policeman, was getting pressure from the business community and others who supported his candidacy to get his seat back. Moscone, a liberal who had struggled to muster the six votes he needed on the board to push through his progressive agenda, had decided to appoint a political ally to fill White's seat. The mayor informed Feinstein of his decision that morning. She said she tried to reach White.

"I still believe that if I could have been there for that three weeks, I could have stopped it," Feinstein said, her eyes reddening. "Now, who knows? Who knows?"

Feinstein described Milk as larger than life, a breakthrough politician and a true leader of the burgeoning gay rights movement. She said White hunted Milk down not because he was homophobic but because he had considered Milk a friend who betrayed him for not helping persuade Moscone to reappoint him. Feinstein said Milk and White, both elected under a new system of district elections, met weekly for coffee in the Castro.

"This had nothing to do with anybody's sexual orientation. It had to do with getting back his position. Dan White was a troubled man under a lot of pressure," she said.

Feinstein, who has possession of White's diary, said his writings revealed a troubled man.

"It does show somebody who has a psychopathology, probably as a true manic-depressive in a clinical sense," she said.

At the time of his trial, White's defense attorney claimed his client was mentally unstable and persuaded the jury to convict him of manslaughter, not murder, in the deaths of Moscone and Milk - a verdict that set off riots in which police cars were torched and windows at City Hall were smashed. He served a sentence of just over five years.

Feinstein talked with her police chief, Con Murphy, when White was up for parole, "and Murphy said he shouldn't come back to the city - his chances of survival were not good," Feinstein recounted. White was released in Los Angeles. Feinstein said she sent Murphy there to tell White not to come back to San Francisco. White ignored the advice and returned. Not long after, he committed suicide in his Excelsior district home.

The tragic events 30 years ago brought a fateful twist to Feinstein's political career. Just before the shootings, she told two City Hall reporters she would not seek re-election to the board. Then there she was, on the balcony overlooking the ornate City Hall rotunda, announcing to a bank of television cameras and crowded by city workers and reporters: "As president of the Board of Supervisors, it's my duty to make this announcement: Both Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk have been shot and killed." White, she said, was the suspect.

A moderate, Feinstein said she decided that she wouldn't make any major changes when she first took over, keeping the Moscone administration largely intact. Moscone, a populist, had defeated her in 1975 when they both ran for mayor.

"Look," she said, "I couldn't sit in George Moscone's chair for seven years, and some of it, I think, is that I became mayor as a product of assassination. I had run, and I had not won, and that was a very difficult thing for me to reconcile in my own mind."

It wasn't until she won her first mayoral term in 1979 that she made her own appointments and moved forward with her own agenda, setting San Francisco on a more centrist course. Feinstein said she has no plans to watch the biopic directed by Gus Van Sant, "Milk," set for general release over the coming week.

"I think in my face you saw the pain of the day 30 years ago. I still have a hard time returning to it, and I'm not a masochist. I know what happened; I lived those times, and I've tried to learn from them in terms of the kind of public servant I am, and that's really enough for me."

She said the assassinations "helped form who I am and what I believe." But, she said, "if I could have undone the moment, even today, I would have undone it in a second. In a nanosecond."

The ArcLight in Hollywood had a midnight showing of "Milk" which I attended with friends.The movie is superb and I'm just going to say it right here and now: Sean Penn will win a well-deserved second Academy Award for best actor for his astounding performance as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California.

Penn is so good that I forgot it was Penn and that's not an easy thing to do. It was just Harvey up there on that screen, cheerful but determined, fighting for equal rights and leaving his mark on this world. Penn gives himself fully over to the role complete with mannerisms that never seem like caricature.

You cannot watch this movie, splendidly directed by Gus Van Sant and so well-written by Dustin Lance Black, and not feel an entire additional layer of emotion over the recent passage of Proposition 8. You can't. There are so many similarities to what was happening thirty years ago. It made me feel sick, as I sat there in the theater, to know that some people - many people - are still so intent on denying gays and lesbians their full equal rights. I hope people - in fact, every person who voted in favor of Prop. 8 - can learn from this film and if they see themselves in it, realize how shameful the entire measure was and is.

Okay, back to the film. Penn is a revelation but there is so much more going on here that makes this a great movie. James Franco as his lover is just perfect and the two actors do not shy away from the physical part of the relationship - no hesitation. Franco and Penn have wonderful chemistry from the moment they meet in a stairwell and Harvey says to him something flirty like: "You can't let me spend my birthday alone."

Emile Hirsch, robbed of an Oscar nomination last year for the Penn-directed "Into the Wild" may just get his due this year for his performance as Cleve Jones. Also, Diego Luna is just heartbreaking as Milk's last lover.

And then there is the amazing Josh Brolin. He alone made "W" worth watching (I caught it in Palm Springs last week) but as rival supervisor - and eventual assassin Dan White - Brolin does more with the role than I think most actors could have. In what screen time he has, he makes White a full character and not just the bad guy.

As for Harvey Milk, what a life worth telling on the screen - finally!

What a man who, at 40, realizes he's settled and hasn't done anything significant with his life. That changed in the next eight years of his life as he leaves New York and his job as an insurance executive for San Francisco. He then goes from local businessman in the Castro to political activist and finally, member of the board of supervisors.

Van Sant seamlessly weaves in actual footage from the 70s in San Francisco and new footage of Anita Bryant and other gay foes. I personally am quite pleased to see the horrible legacy of Anita Bryant up there on that screen. I was a gay kid who watched her in all those orange juice commercials and thought she was so beautiful. But inside, she was really quite ugly and this film reminds us of that.

A standing ovation to the director for his best work yet, to the writer for such a superbly-researched script, to the actors for giving themselves so completely to their roles, and to all involved for creating what I think is the best movie of the year.

Go, See. "Milk."

This is the most significant gay-themed film since "Brokeback Mountain" it seems to me, judging from reviews I've read and the attention it has been getting.
Its uncanny release date - just three weeks after Californians passed the anti-gay marriage initiative Proposition 8 - really makes this a movie that is perfectly timed.

I went to the film's official website and lifted this synopsis for you. My review will come later today.

Gay Rights Activist. Friend. Lover. Unifier. Politician. Fighter. Icon. Inspiration. Hero. His life changed history, and his courage changed lives. In 1977,

Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into major public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans.

Academy Award winner Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk under the direction of Academy Award nominee Gus Van Sant in the new movie filmed on location in San Francisco from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black and produced by Academy Award winners Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen.

The film charts the last eight years of Harvey Milk's life. While living in New York City, he turns 40. Looking for more purpose, Milk and his lover Scott Smith (James Franco) relocate to San Francisco, where they found a small business, Castro Camera, in the heart of a working-class neighborhood that was soon to become a haven for gay people from around the country.

With his beloved Castro neighborhood and beautiful city empowering him, Milk surprises Scott and himself by becoming an outspoken agent for change. He seeks equal rights and opportunities for all, and his great love for the city and its people brings him backing from young and old, straight and gay, alike - at a time when prejudice and violence against gays was openly accepted as the norm.

With vitalizing support from Scott and new friends and volunteers, Milk plunges headfirst into the choppy waters of politics. He also mentors young street activists like Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch). Bolstering his public profile with humor, Milk's actions speak even louder than his gift-of-gab words. Soon, he is known all across the city and even beyond, but his persistent determination to be a part of city government drives him and Scott apart. While making his fourth run for public office, Milk takes a new lover, Jack Lira (Diego Luna).

The latest campaign is a success, as Milk is elected supervisor for the newly zoned District 5. Milk serves San Francisco well while lobbying for a citywide ordinance protecting people from being fired because of their orientation - and rallying support against a proposed statewide referendum to fire gay schoolteachers and their supporters; he realizes that this fight against Proposition 6 represents a pivotal precipice for the gay rights movement.

At the same time, the political agendas of Milk and those of another newly elected supervisor, Dan White (Josh Brolin), increasingly diverge and their personal destinies tragically converge. Milk's platform was and is one of hope - a hero's legacy that resonates in the here and now.

Here is a trailer:

Hard to believe the season is over! And I barely watched any of it. Prop. 8 and the election just made things like reality shows not real important to me suddenly.; But I did monitor Lance's progress as the first openly gay celebrity to compete on the show. Remember the silliness over whether or not he'd dance with a MAN?

On the end, ballroom bragging rights belong to first-place winner to Brooke Burke with football great Warren Sapp.

Lance and partner Lacey Schwimmer were always pushing boundaries which did not make them popular with the judges but the viewers loved them.

"This has been the most fun I've ever had in my entire life," Lance, who will be heading out on the DWTS tour this winter, said afterward. "You got me here," Lacey, capping off a successful debut, told him. "It's my first season, and I couldn't be more proud of you. I love you."

It's Thanksgiving at the Snyder farm and Luke is an alcoholic mess.

I swear I am not on NBC's payroll! I'm just really excited about Rosie O'Donnell's variety special, "Rosie Live!" airing tonight. It feels like, from the promos at least, a throwback to her old talk show which had all these great guests who would chat and sing etc. It reminded me of coming home from school and watching "The Mike Douglas Show" or "Dinah!" (for those of you too young to remember, check Wikipedia!)

This special is being touted as being more in the tradition of the prime-time variety shows of the 60s and 70s like Ed Sullivan and "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In" and, of course, "The Carol Burnett Show."

"I'm excited," Rosie tells ET about her new show. "I've been rehearsing for about three weeks. Today we did a whole rehearsal with Liza Minnelli for the opening number, which was beyond words."

Here's the most complete guest list to date: Alec Baldwin, Alanis Morrissette, Jane Krakowski, Ne-Yo, Liza Minnelli, Rachael Ray, Harry Connick Jr., Clay Aiken, Gloria Estefan, and Kathy Griffin.

Rosie's pal Clay expressed his support for Rosie's show.

"I think that really we're in a place in our country now where people need some excitement and some family fun and something to watch together to cheer them up," Clay tells ET.. "And I think there's no better person to do that than Rosie."

Rosie will kick off the hour sounding off about current events, pop culture and whatever is on her mind but told Meredith Viera on "The Today Show" Monday morning that she doesn't plan to be controversial.

I enjoyed this promo below:

There is so much going on out there in regards to Prop. 8. Since it passed on November 4, the LGBT community and its allies have been galvanized in a beautiful way. But there's also finger-pointing going on and boycotts and threats of boycotts. I try and look at each situation on its own merits and avoid knee-jerk reactions. The best thing to do is to be informed and that's why I am mighty glad to see that my friend Karen Ocamb is the moderator of the Virtual Town Hall Meeting starting tonight at 6 p.m. PST. Karen is not afraid to ask the tough questions of anyone and she is about as informed as anyone can possibly be on this topic.

Here are the details:

WHAT: A virtual town hall meeting entitled "Prop 8: The Facts and Future" on Tuesday,Nov. 25, accessible to anyone with a computer and Internet connection. The 90-minute online forum will be hosted by Karen Ocamb, news editor at IN Los Angeles news magazine.

Panel members include: Amy Balliett, founder of Join the Impact; Lorri L. Jean, chief executive officer of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center; Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California; Rev. Eric Lee, president/chief executive officer of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Los Angeles; Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights; John Perez, assembly member-elect of California's 46th District; and Steve Smith, No on 8 senior campaign consultant of Dewey Square.

WHERE: Visit www.lagaycenter.org/Prop8TownHall for details.

INFO: Questions for the panel can be e-mailed in advance of the event to the moderator at TownHallModerator@gmail.com and can also be submitted live during the event.

Richard Raddon has resigned from his job as director of the Los Angeles Film Festival following fallout over his being a contributor to the Yes on Prop. 8 campaign which successfully banned same-sex couples from getting married in California.

Raddon, who is Morman, had personally donated $1,500 to the Prop. 8 effort. When it came to light, via blogger David Poland, Raddon resigned. But Film Independent initially refused to accept it. But now, it has.

Here is Raddon's statement: "I feel honored to have worked with such a wonderful group of people at the Los Angeles Film Festival over the last nine years. I am proud of our accomplishments. And I am proud to have worked at Film Independent, an organization whose principles and values of diversity and artistic integrity I cherish. I have always held the belief that all people, no matter race, religion, or sexual orientation, are entitled to equal rights. As many know, I consider myself a devout and faithful Mormon. I prefer to keep the details around my contribution through my church a private matter. But I am profoundly sorry for the negative attention that my actions have drawn to Film Independent and for the hurt and pain that is being experienced in the GLBT community."

The board of Film Independent said in a statement that it accepts the resignation "with great reluctance."

"Rich's service to the independent film community and to Film Independent has been nothing less than extraordinary," the board stated. "He has always shown complete commitment to our core principles of equality and diversity during his long tenure. It was through his leadership that the Los Angeles Film Festival has grown into a formidable and exciting showcase for talented artists and diverse voices. We are sorry to see him go."

...but Tom Cruise is still one very handsome guy!

I've always been crazy about Tom Cruise, the actor. In fact, just because you asked, here are my five favorite (actually six) of his many movies:

1. "Jerry Maguire"

2. "A Few Good Men"

3. "Risky Business"

4. "Born on the Fourth of July"

5. "Rainman"/"The Firm"

ALSO: The beach volleyball scene in "Top Gun," the scene in "Interview With a Vampire" when he tells Kirstin Dunst (who has just "killed" him: "You've been a VERY, VERY bad girl." and just about all of his scenes in "Magnolia."

...that's what Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman brought last night to the NYC premiere of their new movie "Australia" opening tomorrow. I could see these two being movie stars in just about any era as they bring such class to all that they do and handle themselves impeccably.

Am blogging when I can this week but have put together some "best of" stuff to make up for the lulls as I continue to enjoy vacation. Here is a collection of interviews with some classy stars that are well-worth another look.
Enjoy!

-- Bernadette Peters: The Out In Hollywood Interview...

-- My interview with Diane Keaton...

Greg's evening with Carol Channing, Esther Williams and other legends...

Catching up with Shirley Jones...

-- A chat w/Glenn Close...

-- My interview with Susan Lucci...

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

-- Meeting Lauren Bacall...

-- My chat w/Natalie Cole...

I cannot believe "The Today Show" split-screened Rosie O'Donnell! Rosie famously quit "The View" three weeks early last year after producers went to a split screen during a ferocious verbal battle between Rosie and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Now, Rosie is involved in another squirmish - this time with Barbara Walters - who took to the airwaves last week to tell Rosie to "get on with your life" after Rosie said in an interview that the ladies on "The View" are not the best of friends off-screen.

So Meredith Viera (herself a "View" alum) asks Rosie about it and forces her to sit through a replay of Barbara's split-screen and the show runs a split-screen as Rosie watches! So uncool.

Rosie, whose "Rosie Live!" variety hour airs Wednesday night, went on to say to Viera of Walters: "The fact that I hurt her hurts me because you know I was 14 years old and watched the first woman to ever moderate a presidential debate - she was the moderator between Carter and Ford. I remember it vividly. I was 15 when she talked to Sadat and Begin. She is one of the women who paved the way for every other woman in broadcasting and I love her regardless of the fact that to her I'm the rowdy teenaged daughter she can't control."

"I think there comes a time when she's just had enough and I'm hard to take for some people," Rosie added. "I do love her and that's the bottom line. Love is complicated."

When I saw this new photo of Broadway's Nick Adams on his Facebook page, I nearly wept. Is this man gorgeous or WHAT?

Nick famously co-starred with Mario Lopez earlier this year in "A Chorus Line" and - as this photo makes clear - it's easy to see why even the muscular Mario wasn't crazy about having to compete with another buff dude on stage. So once Mario joined the show as lead, Nick's character began wearing a sweatshirt during their shared scenes instead of the sleeveless T-shirt he had previously worn!

I just love that story and talked to Nick about it a few months back in this post:
-- Face-to-Face With Nick Adams

I nominate last Thursday's episode of "Ugly Betty" for a GLAAD Award. Any gay high school kid who watched it I'm sure identified with the pain Justin was feeling when his new best friend, Randy, succumbed to peer pressure and blew him off in favor of his "cool" buddies who couldn't believe he was even hanging out with a drama geek.They had watched the school production of "Little Shop of Horrors" together and Hilda had scored them tickets to the Broadway show "In the Heights."

Here's where the show hit a home run: Justin was inconsolable after Randy rejects him. When Hilda gets the story out of him, she sets him straight about being made to feel that he doesn't fit in with Randy and his friends:

"That's their problem, because you are perfect. But you're going to meet a lot of stupid people in your life, and they're just not going to get you. Screw 'em. All that matters is that you never, for a second, change who you are."

What a message to put out there. If I'd heard it when I was 14 or so, maybe I wouldn't have spent so many years building up a "straight" persona only to have to completely dismantle it later in order to be happy. Partly because of shows like this, far more gay kids are accepting themselves as they are from the start.

Lance Bass, one of the most high-profile gay celebrities out there and a real cutie, dances for the title tonight on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." He and partner Lacey Schwimmer are one of three couples remaining. So watch and if you like Lance and Lacey, then VOTE!!!

California Senator Dianne Feinstein, long been a supporter of gay rights, has now fully embraced marriage equality. She discussed her journey during a recent interview with Maureen Dowd on "NBC Nightly News."

"I think as more and more people have gay friends, gay associations, see gay heroism, that their views change," Feinstein said in the interview. "I think people are beginning to look at it differently, I know it's happened for me. "I started out not supporting it. The longer I've lived, the more I've seen the happiness of people, the stability that these commitments bring to a life. Many adopted children who would have ended up in foster care now have good solid homes and are brought up learning the difference between right and wrong. It's a very positive thing."

It was Feinstein who found the body of slain San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk 30 years ago this week and she also discussed the horror of that in the NBC piece:

"I was the one who found his body," she said. "To get a pulse, I put my finger in a bullet hole. It was a terrible, terrible time in the city's history." In the midst of all of the sadness she also became the city's acting mayor: "I inherited a city that was stunned and divided. The divisions were fueled by both hatred and sorrow. Over time, we were able to put the city back together, but the events of that day will remain seared in our memories forever."

C'mon, Kathy Griffin is at the very least C-list now that she has won the Emmy for Outstanding Reality Show two years running! Who woulda thought the fun little series she previewed for us at Outfest about three or four summers ago (egads, I'm losing count!) would turn out to be such a smash and last longer than her previous series, "Suddenly Susan."??

Kathy has signed a one year deal with Bravo.

"It's Season 5. We start shooting Wednesday," she told Us Weekly. "It's going to be more celebrity oriented. [It's] the way that American Idol sort of started as a singing contest and then every week you expect to see the mentors. I have some really good guest stars coming on the D-List this year."

I'm back in LA after a wonderful week in Palm Springs. I tried to post just enough so that you didn't really notice that I was on vacation and will attempt to do the same this week as I devote myself to some home improvement projects and, of course, Thanksgiving with the big Hispanic family in The OC.

I had planned to do a little "work" this morning by seeing "Milk" and post a review for you but went to the wrong screening room (my fault) and so will have to wait until Wednesday and see it at The Grove. Meanwhile, I'd like to direct you to a terrific article written by my Daily News colleaguie Glenn Whipp in yesterday's paper. Here is the LINK and below an excerpt:

Van Sant shot "Milk" on location in San Francisco earlier this year, transforming Castro Street and the location of Milk's camera store back to its '70s look. The shoot attracted an inordinate number of onlookers ("We never had a problem finding extras for the big march scenes," James Franco says), creating an atmosphere of support and occasional pressure.

"The personal side of the story balances out the political side," he says. "The movie obviously deals with a lot of gay-rights issues, but the relationship and the way it's portrayed is key.

Also, I've read a pretty good story on the cover of USA Today's Life section today on "Milk" written by Marco R. delia Cava (that's such a cool byline!). Here is a LINK to it and below are a few of the quotes that stood out:

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom: "The same day Barack Obama becomes president, many gay Americans had their rights taken away. It's surreal. I'm the least likely person to be pushing this, raised by nuns and priests, being from an Irish Catholic family. Maybe I should let go of it, but I can't. It's a core belief in my soul."

Newsom starts to say that "Milk" should have come out before the election to help defeat Proposition 8, "But maybe it's good it's out now. 'Milk' is such a hopeful movie, and people need to believe again."

Corey Scholibo, arts editor of The Advocate: "Harvey was our Martin Luther King Jr - he stood up for our rights. We need a Harvey Milk now. The movie reminds us what it's like to stand up for our rights, something think many of us have forgotten how to do."

MORE LINKS: Andy Towle of Towleroad.com has assembled a terrific set of LINKS to recent "Milk" articles in such publications as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Boston Glober and SF Chronicle, among others. Go to it and find out all kinds of good stuff.

"Milk" opens in limited release Wednesday the expands into wide release Dec. 5...

Rosie O'Donnell's variety special - airing Wednesday night on NBC - just became must-see TV for me: Harry Connick Jr. - the real sexiest man alive - is now one of her guests. Clay Aiken has also been added. I like him more now that he's come out I reckon.

The special will broadcast live from New York's Little Shubert Theatre and Connick and Aiken join previously announced guest stars including legendary performer Liza Minnelli, recording artist's Ne-Yo and Alanis Morissette, actress and comedienne Kathy Griffin and "30 Rock" stars Jane Krakowski and Alec Baldwin.

We all know that Debbie Reynolds played Grace Adler's eccentirc mother on "will & Grace" (remember the 'I Told You So' dance?). It seems that off-screen, she's just about as eccentric! I just finished reading a delicious excerpt of the new memior ("Wishful Drinking") by her daughter, Carrie Fisher, on Huffingtion Post and want to share some of my favorite parts:

I am truly a product of Hollywood in-breeding. When two celebrities mate, someone like me is the result.

After my second husband, Bryan Lourd, left me, I was invited to go to a psychiatric hospital, and you don't want to be rude, so you go. My diagnosis was manic depression - today they call it bipolar disorder. In many situations you can hardly tell there's anything wrong with me - I just have too much personality for one person and not quite enough for two.

I don't know about you, but I personally never get tired of photos of Hugh Jackman. As People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue with Hugh on the cover is still on the rack, here is Hugh on the cover of the Italian Vanity Fair. I must say, he looks delish.

Hugh's new movie, "Australia," hits theaters on Wednesday. He stars opposite Nicole Kidman in this epic directed by Baz Luhrman - his first movie since "Moulin Rouge."

Well, well, it looks like there was an empty seat between Adam Levine of "Maroon 5" and Zac Efron at the recent LA Lakers game. I woulda been happy to fill it!

This one-of-a-kind comedy writer, best known for his run on "Hollywood Squares" and his role of Edna in the national touring company (and later on Broadway) of "Hairspray," turns 60 years old today.

He's a hoot and definitely young at heart. I've chatted with Bruce Vilanch many times in recent years. Last time was before the election when he gave me his opinion for former VP candidate Sarah Palin: "She's just amazing. She has all of the depth of the woman from the 1-800-DENTIST commercials which is where I think they found her - 1-800-RUNNINGMATE. She scares me because she's never been out of Alaska. Even a walrus has done that."

And here is his take on John Travolta getting the role of Edna in the movie version of "Hairspray" instead of Bruce: "I lived with 'Hairpsray' for two years and HE got the part. He looks like Kirstie Alley BEFORE she cashed the Jenny Craig check. He and I have gone up for so many of the same parts for so many years."
Earlier posts:
-- The World According to Bruce Vilanch...
-- Bruce Vilanch is writing for Bette Midler's Vegas show...
-- Bruce Vilanch takes no prisoners on Outfest Awards night

Tonight, Cherry Jones makes her debut as the first female oresident of the United States in a two-hour "24" movie pn FOX which serves as a prequel to the new season in January. There's a nice interview with the Tony winner now up on Advocate.com. She was on her way to a screening of "Doubt" at the time of the interview.
I've excerpted some of the questions I found of the most interest.

Q. Since you mentioned going to the film, I'd love to know what you think of Meryl Streep in the role for which you won a Tony.
A. It's pretty exciting casting. I was smitten from the time I came to New York in 1978 and saw her Kate in "Taming of the Shrew" with Raul Julia, so from then on, I was hers. So...were there a few days when I fantasized about doing the film when I knew it was going to be made into a film? Of course. But, honestly, after doing it on stage 708 times, they probably did me a favor by not asking.

Q. Seven hundred and eight times... That's a heavy role to do day in and day out.
A. The bottom line is, I've always been very pragmatic in my career, which is very helpful and helps you negotiate just about anything. And people expect me to be bitter and angry, and fortunately, for whatever reason, that's not my temperament.

Q. You starred with Brooke Shields in What Makes a Family -- about a lesbian couple and the landmark Florida adoption case and custody battle -- and now, here in California, we're fighting wildly to ensure that Prop. 8 doesn't pass. Are you at all shocked or surprised that we're still having to fight for these rights?
A. Oh, not in the slightest. I mean, honestly, I remember the first time I heard Bob Dole say on the floor of the Senate "gay marriage," I thought I was going to fall over; even though he was mentioning it in a pejorative way, I thought, Wow, we've really come a way that Bob Dole is talking about gay marriage, even in a negative way. I'm old enough that any movement forward is thrilling, not fast enough, but understandable in this polarized nation of ours. If Barack Obama is not elected president, perhaps the rest of the world will finally understand that half of this country is being held hostage by the other half.

Q. I know that you thanked your partner when you won the Tony back in 1995, and then you kissed Sarah (Paulson) and thanked her when you won for Doubt, which were both watershed moments for lesbian visibility. Have you always been out and honest about who you are?
A. Yes. I'm a very timid person in a lot of ways, many, many ways, but for some reason, my sexuality has always brought the lion out in me. I've never been timid about that. I've always made a point of telling everyone I meet -- when the time is right -- that I'm gay.

Time flies.

But Billie Jean King has made the most of her time on this planet so far and her impact on the culture has been tremendous. She was the most focused of tennis champions and has used that tenacity in her off-court activism for equal rights for women and equal opportunity for everyone from the pro women's tennis tour to college campuses to the playground.

An amazing, amazing person. Her attitude about life, about fairness and achieving what you set out to do have stuck with me always.

Happy birthday to a great leader, activist and champion...

Here is video of a recent interview with BJK:

Recent related posts:
-- Old pals Elton John and Billie Jean King raise $400,000 for HIV/AIDS charities...-- Billie Jean King educates as Venus wins a big title...

I've decided that Barbara Walters completely overreacted to some of Rosie O'Donnell's remarks in an interview this week. I think the truth might've gotten under her skin a bit quite frankly.
Anyway, I posted Rosie's hilarious Vblog reply. She talked about it more in-depth on Conan O'Brien's show the other night when she stopped by to promote her NBC variety special which airs on Wednesday.

"It's a little emotional, I have a little Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when I watch it," Rosie said of her year on "The View." "I get a little bit of flashbacks, like Vietnam vets. But it was a good experience, it wasn't something I regret doing by any stretch of the imagination. But it didn't end well, and people seem to remember that part."

Walters was irked when Rosie said claims that the co-hosts of "The View" are friends off camera are untrue, and responded on the program Thursday telling Rosie to move on with her life.

"Everyone's real good friends," a defiant Rosie said to Conan. "And they hang out together pretty much every day after the show. Barbara, Joy, Elisabeth, they all go to Friday's and have potato skins. They throw back a few beers on a Saturday, you know how it is. They're very chummy."

"She's a little angry," Rosie added. "In spite of the fact that she now loathes me, I still do enjoy her. I'm not sure I'm going to be a guest on that show again. But I tried my best... I told them when they hired me that I had never worked on a show before where I wasn't the boss, and that there was a chance that might cause some problems...[but] I don't wanna dump on the show in order to benefit my own career, to use it for publicity, because I didn't have a career before that show so I'm very thankful to 'The View' for the help that it's given me in my life."

Rosie said of Walters: "I never meant to hurt a journalist of her stature, in all honesty."

anyway, here is a clip of Rosie's appearance on Conan:

This is an amusing video I spooted on OhLaLaMag that I found amusing. Robert Buckley, the best part of most episodes of "Lipstick Jungle," does a send-up of the fact that his character of Kirby often as a very skimpy wardrobe.

Enjoy and happy Friday!

Earlier posts:
-- My chat with Robert Buckley of "Lipstick Jungle..."
-- Lipstick Jungle: Lipstick Jungle: Roy comes out, Kirby loses his shirt...

Dustin Lance Black is such an impressive person and at the age of 28, already quite accomplished. He will very likely be nominated for an Oscar for writing "Milk" (I'm finally seeing it on Monday!) and has become an outspoken activist - especially since the passage of Prop. 8 earlier this month.

I spoke with Mr. Black, a writer for the three years on the HBO series "Big Love," recently about "Milk," the movie he wrote about Harvey Milk, the San Francisco city official and gay rights activist who was gunned down in his office in 1978. It opens Wednesday and is especially timely considering the passing of Prop. 8, which overturned the legalization of same-sex marriages in California.

"I was thinking about it in terms of today but did I know that Proposition 8 would happen? No," he said. "I started it about four years ago. But you probably know when you're listening to the arguments going on across the country starting with Massachusetts and New York, any of these battles are being waged over gay and lesbian rights, they're using the same arguments that were used in 1978. They're sort of scaring people into thinking somehow it would harm their children which is very similar to what was happening in 1978 with Anita Bryant."

In 1978, it was Prop. 6 which tried to ban gay people from teaching in schools and during the weeks leading up to Nov. 4, Black saw history repeating itself in terms of tactics: "If you look at the people who are standing up and opposing gay rights and trying to break them down and take them back, it's really striking to see how similar they speak and it only takes a YouTube search between Anita Bryant and Sarah Palin and you start to get sort of echoes."

So how was it for him as a writer to be with Milk and research all the things he went through?

"It was very deep, it was super deep," he said. "When I first heard about Harvey Milk, I was a closeted young guy from a very conservative home in Texas and you get a little dark. You think about if it's really worth it to keep going. I was really lucky that we moved to the Bay area and I heard the story of Harvey Milk and his message was one of hope which we're hearing echoes of today in this political campaign. And that message of hope almost literally helps keep me alive and helps me in that struggle. So being able to know the man who, for me, was very much a father figure in my adolescence, getting to know him posthumously through all of his friends, through all of this research, was really profound, really deep. I know it sounds corny but I absolutely felt his spirit while I was writing and shooting and certainly when I was surrounded by his friends."

What a wonderful, smart and thoughtful new voice to have in the ongoing LGBT battle for equal rights.

See what happened the morning after Luke was given an unexpected and unwelcomed kiss...

The great Patti Labelle has a new interview with The Advocate and is her usual open and wonderful self. I want to share a few of her answers in relation to all that's going on post-Prop. 8 passage:

Q. Exit polls show that the black community voted for Prop. 8 in large majorities. As someone who is loved so much by both the gay community and the black community, what do you think could help to mend the divide?
A. Really? I honestly haven't heard that! I haven't been able to keep up with the news. I just catch a little bit on CNN and I was devastated about what happened to the gay community in California. You know, I thought we [the gay and black community] were together! I know it's possible for the gays and the blacks to come together because we're both the underdogs. I just think it's sad. Everyone should just give peace a chance and let everybody be themselves. I'm so tired of judgment. I hope it gets right. I'm praying for it to get right.

Q. Did you ever think you'd see America vote for a black president? What were you doing that night?
A. Yes. I was sitting on the edge of my bed, afraid to watch because I thought there would be some trickery. Even though I knew Obama should get it, I kept thinking that someone was going to trick him out of it. I turned it on and off over and over, and when it was finalized that Obama won, I didn't move. I just silently cried and said, "Thank you, Lord, there is hope." It's the most wonderful night I've had in my life... Well, one of the most. So I think good things for the gay community can happen. If Obama can happen, things can happen for the gays as well. Obama is for the world. He is the new hope for the world. I was in Canada and it was like he was their president.

When I saw "Doubt" on opening night of the AFI Fest several weeks back, I was raving about how great Meryl Streep was in the role to anyone who would listen. Well, a ,lot of those people I told had seen the show on Broadway and the performance of Cherry Jones who had won a Tony for the role of as nun who accuses a priest of child molestation. They all said: "Nobody will ever be better than Cherry Jones!"

Well, even though Cherry didn't get to do her role in the film, she did get the part of the President of the United States in the long-awaited seventh season of "24" which we get a preview of in a two-hour film this Sunday.

Cherry is an out lesbian who has been in a long-term relationship with actress Sarah Paulsen (who will ever forget their terrific televised smooch when Jones won the Tony for "Doubt"?).

She turns 52 today.

Happy birthday to this great talent.

Self-described "70s gay geek author" Mike Pingel has taken his passion for 70s TV with his current release "The Q Guide to Wonder Woman" out in stores this month. Mike also recently authored "The Q Guide to Charlie's Angels," a series I know a lot more about but there are plenty of devotees of this Lynda Carter series from the 70s.

Mike tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the show's history and costume design. The book also features new interviews with producer Douglas S. Cramer and actors S. Pearl Sharp, Stella Stevens, Joan Van Ark, Clark Brandon and Charlene Tilton. This Q guide also includes the very first-ever complete Wonder Woman episode guide looking at all 60 episodes.

Mike is doing a coupla book signings in the coming days:

Golden Apple Comic Store
Saturday, November 22 @ 2:00pm

Different Light Bookstore
Saturday, November 29 @ 7:30pm

Yesyerday was the official Transgender Day of Remembrance but this new public service announcement, premiered on glaadBLOG, has an important message for any day of the year. We should make sure Mike Huckabee recieves it so he can educate himself about the violence gays and especially transgendered persons face.

Here is the lovely transgender actress Candis Cayne of ABC's Dirty Sexy Money encouraging viewers to treat others with dignity and respect regardless of gender identity/expression or sexual orientation.

Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded nine years ago to honor Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was murdered November 28, 1998. The annual event is designed to raise public awareness of anti-transgender hate crimes and to encourage people to be allies to the transgender community.

The 20-second spot is part of GLAAD's ongoing "Be an Ally & a Friend" campaign. The PSA starring Ms. Cayne is the first of 22 new spots which will appear on national cable networks and local affiliates throughout 2009. The spots encourage people to be allies to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and to help combat discrimination, directing viewers to resources at GLAAD.org.

Brandon Voss, who does the "Big Gay Following" column for The Advocate, sent me this excerpt from his latest column, a chat with Oscar winner Adrien Brody who did not at all like some of Brandon's questions and told him so!

Do guys still hit on you?
I guess I'd be disappointed if they didn't.
What if a man had presented you with your Oscar instead of Halle Berry? Were you so wrapped up in the moment that you might've have kissed him too?
That's a pretty silly question. No, obviously not. Part of the excitement was that it was a beautiful woman presenting me with such a beautiful moment in my life.
Is there any actor for whom you would've made an exception?
No.
Let's try another approach: For your next gay role, who'd you choose for your on-screen love interest?
You want me to name an actor? No, I can't answer that question, Brandon. See, you ask me how I deal with rumors, and I also have to deal with not adding fuel to them. Something that would be a completely innocuous comment on my part will be completely taken out of context by the next journalist, so I'd appreciate it if you were understanding about that.
Have I put you in a bad mood?
I'm still in a good mood, but I'm also a relatively serious person, so these questions are difficult for me.
So I guess I shouldn't ask if it's true what they say about a man with a prominent nose?
Why would you do that to somebody? You and I don't know each other, right? We're complete strangers, actually. I'm being respectful to you, so you have to extend the same courtesy.
Oh, Adrien, it's all in good fun. I'm trying to show your sense of humor here.
I didn't sign up for that.

Greg note: BTW, the interview does go quite nicely for awhile before it en ds this way so click on te link above and read it in its entirety!

Good one Rosie!

During a conference call to promote her upcoming NBC variety special, Rosie O'Donnell addressed the criticism that she had been surprisingly mum on Prop. 8 before the election: Not only is the the former talk show host not planning to speak out on politics on her show, she says people have been surprised she hasn't more loudly condemned Proposition 8, She said her February 2004 marriage to Kelli Carpenter in San Francisco speaks for itself: "I realized when Kelly and I were married it was in some ways an act of civil disobediance as much as it was a love story," she said. "I kind of found it surprising that people say you're not vocal enough. I'm not vocal enough? ... I've lived my opposition to Proposition 8 and have for... years."

Well, we still needed ya Rosie.

Here's what Rosie said while doing press for her variety special: Barbara "wanted everyone to believe and think and act as if [the women on 'The View'] get along and are really good friends and happy and hang out together, and, you know, that's just not the reality. I'm not saying they loathe each other, but the fact of the matter is there was not a lot of camaraderie off camera."

She also addressed her abrupt departure from the show following an on-screen blow-up with Elisabeth Hasselbeck that producers allowed to go on - with split screen - for a good 10 minutes.

"For me what happened on the show was a personal argument with a friend that was publicly displayed... I didn't want to be paid to fight. When I started and took that job it was with the idea of speaking for the millions of mothers whose voices weren't heard on television. I did it for a year and I thought it was really great, right up until the day it went off the track. When you're on a football team and your own team won't support you, and your own guy tackles you, it's time to take off the uniform."
Barbara, while not mentioning anyone name, said this morning: "We're very proud of some of our alumni," Walters started on "The View." "Meredith Vieira who has gone on and has this wonderful job. And Lisa Ling. We take delight in people who have gone on. But there are some people who have done this show and then, for years, feel they have to dump on it. Maybe for their own publicity. And that not only hurts me, but I resent it. ... Ladies, get on with your lives. We are not perfect. We are not always happy. But we're pretty good."

Added Joy Behar: "We're like a semi-dysfunctional family. But there is no reason to go overboard about how we don't get along. We do get along pretty well."

And finally, Elisabeth Hasselbeck chimed in with this Rosie remark (also without mentioning her by name): "We've had incredible years, maybe one more difficult than others in the past. That's all I'm saying."

I think it should be pointed out here that Barbara Walters has spoken for DECADES about how she was mistreated at NBC on "The Today Show" by co-anchor Frank McGee then on the "ABC Evening News" by co-anchor Harry Reasoner. I realize she had to deal with a lot of sexism as she was crashing those glass ceilings but she seems a little too thin-skinned in this instance.

I saw "Quantum of Solace" yesterday at the Mary Pickford Theater complex in Palm Springs (one of her Oscars is on display along with a lot of other cool momentos) and I gotaa say: I. Loved. Every. Minute. Of. It. Daniel Craig is just the living end. He's only xhrtless in one scene but it doesn't matter. He is sexy in a tuxedo, in a windbreaker, flying a plane, while giving chase. And lotsa Judi Dench this time around. Very enjoyable movie.

Another tidbit from People magazine's article on newly-annointed sexiest man alive Hugh Jackman:

The actor, who was this week named the sexiest man alive by People magazine, said wife Deborra-Lee Furness often has to assure people that her husband is straight. 'She said the most infuriating times would be in the bathroom because all she'd hear is: 'Is he or isn't he gay?' 'I don't know, he's married'. 'Oh, who cares? I'm sure he's gay'," he told People. 'She used to call out from the stall: 'He's not gay. I'm telling you he's not.' And there would be silence until someone said: 'I think that's his wife.'"

Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey was asked by CelebsGoneGood about the passage of Proposition 8 at the Happy Hearts Gala:

Here is part of the interivew:

CGG: How do you feel about President-Elect Obama?
KS: Hope is in the air, and it's palpable. It's an exciting and generous spirit that has happened since ten days ago. And I think that the American public is ready for it, and I think he's ready for it, and I believe the world is ready for it.

CGG: What about Proposition 8? Do you hope California will fight the ban on gay marriage?
KS: Well there's no doubt that election night was a bittersweet night. But in some ways, these kinds of setbacks allow for a bigger fight, more challenges, and eventually we're going to get it right. Eventually the American public will figure out that it really isn't right to deny citizens basic civil human rights. And we can no longer allow that to happen.

So the fact that these things were voted in, to me, it's just an example of the fact that they had more money. How much money did the Mormon church put in? So I hope, like Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "Don't give up. Keep protesting."

CGG: Do you think that the UK has it right with Elton John pushing for civil unions, not marriage?
KS: Well, I haven't heard what Elton has said about it, and I don't really know the particular laws in London with respect to whether they just have civil unions or...Look, I think at the end of the day, if people are given rights, and the same basic rights that any individual is given, then we are in fact honoring the Constitution of the United States. Anything less than that is unfair.

Last weekend's episode of "Saturday Night Live" with Paul Rudd as host was easily the gayest in the show's 30-plus year history. Some in the blogosphere took offense to some of the sketches which head writer and "Weekend Update" anchor Seth Meyers talks about with By Corey Scholibo of The Advoicate.

Here is an excerpt:

Q. ...I want to talk about last Saturday. Was it a conscious effort on your part to write a very gay episode?
A. This is the honest truth: It really wasn't. That's just not how our show works. We're not a top-down show where we have a meeting on Monday and assign stuff. Everyone goes off and writes their own thing. Certainly it was more than I think anyone expected, but I think with what was in the air and with Proposition 8, I think different people had different ideas. Once that happens it just turns into a meritocracy on the pieces.

Q. ...So all of you come in the room to pitch the sketches, and is there a moment where you are like, Look, a lot of us seem to be doing a lot of gay sketches?
A. To some degree. Not to minimize, it but we are having the same issue this week with Thanksgiving. [Laughs] When you have to do 22 of these shows a year, sometimes you just do the biggest story or whatever everyone is talking about. I will say that it will be much harder with Thanksgiving because they will all look the same, where as with last week there were a lot of different looks.

Then you have "The Kissing Family Scene," (clip above) not a scene that anybody here considered to be about gay rights or gay themes in general. That was written for a previous episode earlier in the year, and that reached its destination because it was heightening a nonsexual, affectionate family. Against a backdrop of everything else we were doing, I guess some people took it to be about that.

Q. Did you conceive the Snagglepuss sketch?
A. That is the thing where you have a new cast member, Bobby Moynihan, and one of the things he auditioned with was Snagglepuss. I can tell you, as a new cast member your radar is always up to find ways to get the stuff you brought with you on the air. As it turned out that was a pretty funny way to get it in. Because bringing Snagglepuss on Weekend Update was going to be a pretty tough sell unless there was some sort of in.

To read the entire interview with Seth, go to Advocate.com.

I confess, with all the activity surrounding Prop. 8, I have not been watching much television with many of my favorite guilty pleasures like "Brothers & Sisters," "Desperate Housewives," "Gossip Girl" and "As The World Turns" falling by the wayside for now.

Thankfully, I can keep up with them through AfterElton.com where I found Wednesday's stunning clip from "As the World Turns." Luke's (Van Hansis) life is a mess. He's been expelled from college after cheating in the election for student body president (boyfirend Noah (Jake Silbermann) turned him in!) and now he's drinking again. That's a lotta drama - but that's not all! His grandma married the handsome Brian Wheatley (the handsome Laurence Lau) who, it turns out, is a big closet case! And after marrying grandma, Brian encounters a wasted Luke, gets him cleaned up and as Luke cries about how it all went wrong, Brian comforts him then ... kisses him passionately!

OMG!!!

Hi all. I'm on vacation in Palm Springs this week and only blogging in the morning. But I couldn't resist checking email before happy hour to see if there was any news on the Prop. 8 front. And there was. Ther following is an email I got from Lorri L. Jean, CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center:

Just this afternoon, the California Supreme Court decided to grant review to numerous lawsuits regarding Prop. 8, making the case that:

** Prop. 8 is invalid because it constitutes a revision of, rather than an amendment to, the California Constitution.

** Prop. 8 violates the separation of powers doctrine under the California Constitution.

** If Prop. 8 is not unconstitutional, the marriages performed before Prop 8 passed should still be valid.

The court gave a very short briefing schedule, giving the state until December 19th to respond and giving our side until January 5th to respond to those briefs. Amicus briefs must be filed by January 15th, with replies to those due by January 21st.

The court did NOT grant a stay of Prop. 8 as had been requested. So, during the pendency of this matter, no marriage licenses will be issued to same-sex couples. Over the past 100 years, the California Supreme Court has heard nine cases challenging either legislative enactments or initiatives as invalid revisions of the California Constitution. In three of those cases, the Court invalidated those measures.

We are very pleased that the Court has granted review of these cases (they could have opted to not consider the lawsuits), but this should not be considered an indication they will rule in our favor. We'll keep you updated as news develops.

Will have more tomorrow mornimg...

Here is a column I wrote that appears in today's LA Daily News:

For anyone who's old enough to remember, the current uprising against the passage of California's Proposition 8 mirrors something that happened 30 years ago: In 1978, San Francisco County Supervisor Harvey Milk led a crusade against the state's Proposition 6, a measure that would have banned gay people from teaching in public schools.
A movie about his successful fight - and subsequent murder - are the focus of the upcoming feature film "Milk," starring Sean Penn in a performance that is already generating lots of Oscar talk.

The film hits theaters less than a month after California voters narrowly approved Proposition 8, which overturned the legalization of same-sex marriages in the state.

Plenty of Proposition 8 opponents have been wondering aloud in recent weeks what would have happened if "Milk," out in limited release on Nov. 26 (the day before the 30th anniversary of Milk's assassination), had instead been released in the weeks leading up to the election.

Neil G. Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), saw "Milk" at its premiere in San Francisco a few weeks ago and said of the film's potential impact: "When audiences get to know someone who is gay or lesbian and is portrayed in a fair, accurate and inclusive way, hearts and minds are changed ... Regardless of how you feel about gay people or marriage for same-sex couples, it's wrong to treat anyone differently under the law and prevent same-sex couples from taking care of each other.

"Nonviolent demonstrations seen in the film and over the past week inspire the LGBT community and can impact change."

So could a pre-election day release of "Milk" have helped to stave off passage of the measure with its message? Could it have offset the influence of the steady stream of "Yes on 8" commercials that flooded the airwaves for months?

Maybe. Maybe not.

But Focus Features, which is distributing the Gus Van Sant-directed film, could hardly have been expected to move up its release date to try to sway voters in the fight against Proposition 8. This is show "business," remember?

Co-producer Dan Jinks points out that the movie was planned and in production before the California Supreme Court overturned the state's ban on gay marriage last spring, so its release date in proximity to the vote is simply a coincidence.

"The most important thing as we were talking about making this movie ... was that an audience would see it," Jinks said. "And if all that buzz helps put bodies in seats and helps create an interest beyond what will be the core audience for this movie, that's what we're hoping for, that's what our great dream is."

Box office aside, it seems clear that there is still much that can be learned from "Milk" and its unmistakable parallels to today's political landscape.

"The echoes have been so profound as to how much has changed from 1978 to today and how much is the same," said co-producer Bruce Cohen, who was married to Gabriel Catone in June by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "We're hoping that people will really appreciate that and understand it and that it will open everyone up to think of all the work that we have in front of us. I think politics will still be very much on people's minds when the movie comes out. Most people don't know the story and don't know anything about the politics of 1978 so it will be really exciting to see people learn this whole new era."

For "Milk" screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, Proposition 8's passage has turned him into an activist who last week launched "Seven Weeks to Equality." In a widely published editorial, he called for a nationwide campaign of mass protests and nonviolent civil disobedience for seven weeks - beginning Nov. 27 and culminating in a mass gathering on Jan. 20 to honor the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

"There are rare moments in human history when, suddenly and unexpectedly, the opportunity for great change and progress becomes possible," Black wrote. "Obama has shown us the power of hope and the urgency of seizing that moment. `Milk' has shown us the power we possess when we make our voices heard."

Black said in an interview that he hopes people will draw inspiration from the movie just as he drew inspiration from the man as he began writing the script four years ago.

"Getting to know him posthumously through all of his friends, through all of this research, was really profound, really deep," Black said.

"When I first heard about Harvey Milk, I was a closeted young guy from a very conservative home in Texas, and you get a little (despondent). You think about if it's really worth it to keep going. I was really lucky that we moved to the Bay Area and I heard the story of Harvey Milk. His message was one of hope, which we're hearing echoes of today."

Has Mike Huckabee never heard of Matthew Shepard? Harvey Milk?

The former Arkansas governor declared on "The View" Tuesday that gay rights are not civil rights because gays have not had violence inflicted upon them like Blacks have.

Here is one of his quotes from this video that I found on Huffington Post: "People who are homosexuals should have every right in terms of their civil rights, to be employed, to do anything they want. But that's not really the issue. ... But when we're talking about a redefinition of an institution, that's different than individual civil rights. We're never going to convince each other...But here is the difference. Bull Connor was hosing people down in the streets of Alabama. John Lewis got his skull cracked on the Selma bridge."

Towleroad.com quotes Think Progress which notes, "Huckabee's lame violence threshold is nothing more than a shoddy attempt to conceal his deep and fundamental homophobia."

You know Hugh Jackman is sexy when he is able to beat out some of these other guys for the title of "Sexiest Man Alive." The editors of people have made some good choices as runner-ups incliuding the handsome and Emmy-nominated star of AMC's "Man Men" Jon Hamm.

The magazine writes: "I try to be a good person. I'm loyal and I'm trustworthy. I'm kind," says the Mad Men star, 37, who has been in a 10-year relationship with actress Jennifer Westfeldt. "And I'm a really good driver."

Craig. Daniel Craig. The best James Bond ever (sorry Connery) is back in "Quantum of Solace" and ruling the box office with a $72 million domestic gross in its first weekend and an additional $250 million in foreign ticket sales. The critics weren't so kind this time around but audiences clearly do not care!

Here's People's blurb on Daniel:
So who is his favorite Bond girl? The "one on my arm," says Craig, 40, who brought longtime girlfriend Satsuki Mitchell to his London premiere of the latest 007 film, Quantum of Solace. But the British actor's current onscreen Bond girl, Olga Kurylenko, isn't so shy about 'fessing up to playing favorites, saying of Craig, "He suits the part of James Bond perfectly."

I'm so glad to see Mark-Paul Gosselaar included! My crush on him began with "Saved By the Bell," grew when he did a short-lived WB show called "DC" then "NYPD Blue." Now he's on another hit: TNT's "Raising the Bar." I just dig the long hair he's sporting for the role.

People writes:The star once known as Saved By the Bell's Zack has been married for 12 years, has two kids and plays an ace lawyer in Raising the Bar. "My legal education comes from watching Law & Order and NYPD Blue." Fans still love his hair - so much so that TNT created an online game about it. As for him, he says, "I'm a guy. I don't get my hair cut unless I need to."

And finally, the inclusion of Robert Buckley comes as no surprise. He is the sexiest 20-something out there these days. People writes: What keeps this former economic consultant in the gym? "Being half-naked in front of millions of strangers," says Buckley, 27, of his work on Lipstick Jungle. Next up: Lifetime's "Flirting with Forty" with Heather Locklear.

It all started with Mel Gibson back in 1985 and since then, the "Sexiest Man Alive" title has also gone to Brad Pitt (twice!), Tom Cruise, Mark Harmon, Harry Hamlin, Sean Connery, George Clooney (also twice, I think) and also Matthew McConaughey. Those are off the top of my head. It's not like winning the Oscar or anything but a nice feather in their sexy cap.

Joining this sexy hall of fame: Hugh Jackman! But we already knew that anyway. Here is what is written about Hugh on People.com:

He's a triple threat: a star who can sing, dance and wield a weapon. At 6 ft. 2 in., all scruff and biceps, Jackman, 40, looms large in the epic Australia, and left people stammering, "Oh ... my ... God," according to costar Nicole Kidman. Jackman's wife of 12 years, Deborra-Lee Furness, calls his perfect form "the Body of Doom - but I like what's inside": a romantic who sings ballads at home and makes pancakes for kids Oscar, 8, and Ava, 3.

Below is a shot of Hugh working out with his trainer last weekend. Sexy!

Tony winner Marissa Jaret Winokur is headed back to Broadway's "Hairspray" to perform in the musical's final weeks.

Starting Dec. 9, Marissa will reprise her starring role as Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad, But a lot has changed for her since she last played the role: "When I started with the show I was cancer-free, I was single, I had no kids. I was just an unemployed actress," the former Dancing with the Stars finalist and cervical-cancer survivor, who welcomed son Zev Isaac Miller last July, tells People.com. "To go back to the show that gave me a career, gave me a life and now I can share this with my child - how do you say no? Besides, when does a 35-year-old get to play 16?"

The show will close Jan. 4, and already has its original leading actor back in place: fellow Tony winner Harvey Fierstein, who plays Tracy's mother, Edna Turnblad.

"The idea of going back to New York City with a newborn was ridiculously scary, and I was like, there's no way I'm going to do it," Marissa added. "But then there's the idea of standing in midtown with my billboard and my son and taking a picture of that. How cool would that be?"

"It's Zev's first plane ride, Zev's first Christmas, the first time I will have left the house for more than an hour with Zev. I'm packing for us now. I'm getting one suitcase, but he's getting three. All of his clothes are so small but he needs all of his things to make it look like our house."

Kathy & David Archuleta

The poor kid! Still, the "American Idol" runner-up giggled uncomfortably during it but got through unscathed. Very entertaining...

Dan Savage appeared on D.L. Hughley's CNN show and was as informed and articulate as Cynthia Nixon had been during her Friday night appearance on "Larry King Live." Thank goodness for fresh voices like these. The video is above. Below, I've posted Keith Olbermann's heartfelt and powerful commentary on the passage of Prop. 8, If youn haven't seen it, be sure to watch. And if you have, it's certainly worth a second viewing.

Rosie O'Donnell is in full career gear right now. She will join forces with the ever-perky Rachael Ray on Rachael's show for three days later this month, the New York Daily News reports.

Said Rachael: "She's just fantastic television and a fantastic human being. I feel so honored to have her on the show at all, let alone three times [this year] in such close proximity, and I love that she's here at Thanksgiving time because she's one of the things that I'm thankful for."

Rosie is no doubt raising her profile - the television friendly one - because of her upcoming variety special on NBC. She will cook one of her favorite meals with Ray, as well as take the cameras behind the scenes of her variety special.

Here is our future. She was among the throngs in downtown LA Saturdat morning for a spirited rally followed by a march around the streets. I don;t know how many people were there total. I was told initially that it was 12,000 to 13,000 but The Advocate puts the numer closer to 20,000. I dunno, felt like a million to me! (photo courtesy of Karen Ocamb)

And here is a grown-up cutie. I don't know who he is, I've never met him, but snagged it off my friend Jim Key's Facebook page. If anyone knows who is, let me know!

First of all, I'm not ignoring you dear readers.

There is some kind of major issue going on with the blogs on dailynews.com so I'm posting this not sure when you will see it. Could be in five minutes, could be in five hours. But know that as soon as I am able, you will have plenty of new posts.

I'm leaving in about an hour to Palm Springs for a week of fun in the sun but will be blogging from poolside most mornings. First I want to share with you a few tidbits from an interview I've just had with Robert Buckley, the studly actor who plays Kirby on NBC's "Lipstick Jungle." Our chat was mainly about his upcoming Lifetime movie "Flirting With 40" opposite Heather Locklear which airs on Dec. 6. It will be the subject of one of my newspaper columns that week.

But here are a few morsels until then. I've been reading that "Lipstick" had been cancelled then not cancelled. Asked Robert what he knows: "Your guess is as good as mine, It's touch and go. Last i heard, we will at least air the remaining episodes, all 13 will air. Any back order (additional episodes) is to be determined."

He called from NYC and had his last day of shooting on "Lipstick" yesterday. Hopefully this is not the last we'll see of the show but NBC's relegating it to Friday nights was not exactly a sign of confidence.
Since his character of Kirby usually has at least one shirtless scene in each episode, I had to ask Robert about what executive producer Oliver Goldstick had told me during the summer at the NBC TV Critics Press Tour: "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.

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."

Replied Robert to me today: "I read that! I read your story," he said. "It's not like I walked into the writer's room and said, 'This script could use more man chest. In auditions, they never asked me tio take my shirt off. What if I wasn't in shape or had a giant tatoo of a unicorn of a dolphin?"

Actually, a unicorn would have been kinda cute.

Stay tuned for my entire interview with Robert in a few weeks.

Earlier posts:
-- "Lipstick Jungle" will feature more shirtless Robert Buckley and reveal a gay character...

More than 100 retired generals and admirals called Monday for repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays so they can serve openly, according to a statement obtained by The Associated Press.

"As is the case with Great Britain, Israel, and other nations that allow gays and lesbians to serve openly, our service members are professionals who are able to work together effectively despite differences in race, gender, religion, and sexuality," the officers wrote.

While President-elect Barack Obama has expressed support for repeal, he said during the presidential campaign that he would not do so on his own -- an indication that he would tread carefully to prevent the issue from becoming a drag on his agenda. Obama said he would instead work with military leaders to build consensus on removing the ban on openly gay service members.

The list of 104 former officers who signed the statement appears to signal growing support for resolving the status of gays in the military. Last year, 28 former generals and admirals signed a similar statement.

The officers' statement points to data showing there are about 1 million gay and lesbian veterans in the United States, and about 65,000 gays and lesbians currently serving in the military. The military discharged about 12,340 people between 1994 and 2007 for violating the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a military watchdog group. The number peaked in 2001 at 1,273, but began dropping off sharply after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Last year, 627 military personnel were discharged under the policy.

I always liked Niles better than Frasier anyway, didn't you?

Anyway, actor David Hyde Pierce, who won multiple Emmys for his role on "Frasier" and a Tony Award last year for "Curtains," was among the marchers in downtown LA on Saturday and he was interviewed exclusively by Anne Stockwell for Advocate.com.

Here is the piece:

David Hyde Pierce is Gay, Married... and Marching Against Prop. 8

As Dr. Niles Crane on the hit sitcom Frasier, David Hyde Pierce had a great deadpan. That also extended to his own life: for years he wouldn't confirm or deny being gay. Since then he thawed enough to thanked his longtime partner, Brian Hargrove, in his 2007 Tony Award acceptance speech.

And on Saturday, Pierce was one baseball-capped protester among maybe 20,000 others marching for equality in Los Angeles. He was still deadpan -- dead serious. But in five minutes he told me more than he's ever said in his stellar career.

As we talked, I noticed Pierce was wearing a wedding ring. I asked, and he confirmed: "Yeah, we got married three weeks ago."

Advocate.com: David, why are you here now? For a long time you've chosen to be circumspect about -- I remember you saying, "My life is an open book, I just don't choose to read it." Why now?

David Hyde Pierce: For one thing, I said that 15 years ago, so life has changed a lot in 15 years. But this is not about being gay. This is about having the basic right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and having that put up for a vote, not only here in California but across the country, and that is just fundamentally not what this country is about. And I completely understand the passions on both sides of this issue, but like I said, those rights are not negotiable no matter whether people like it or not. We're not trying to force anything on anyone. We're trying to go about our lives and live them the best that we can. So that's why I'm here, and that's why all these people are here.

Do you foresee now that more celebrities will become involved in speaking out against Prop. 8, now that it's passed?

I have no idea what celebrities will do. I think the real issue for me is that this should never have been something that people voted on. This is not a country where people get to vote on people's private lives, where people vote on whether we get to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. That's part of the fundamental right of being an American. And so that to me is the miscarriage of justice--not the way the vote went. I'm proud that at least in California it was close. There are other states where it wasn't close at all, and they even took away the right to adoption. To me the issue is, this should not be an issue divided by voters.

When friends ask you to separate, or distinguish between, religion and civil law on this issue -- it seems to be a point of confusion for so many people--what do you tell them?
A: Religion and civil law are already separated in this country. And I actually don't think it's so much an issue of separation of church and state; I think it's a separation of emotion and fear, and passions getting stirred, from reality. The reality is, this whole marriage thing doesn't affect anyone but the people getting married. And people have been led to believe and the passion's been stirred up that it's going to affect their children and it's almost as they think, if gay people can get married, then the whole country has to turn gay. It's craziness, and it doesn't deal with the simple reality. The reality of the vote, what people were really voting on here, was, do you believe that the people of California should have a right to vote on who you choose to marry, whether you're straight or gay. That was the vote. And miraculously, the people of California voted yes, we think everybody should get a vote in our marriage. They can't have meant that. They can't have really understood what they were voting for and voted for that, because it doesn't make any sense.

...are photos of Hugh Jackman working out at the beach. And his trainer? I'll take one of those too! Hugh, who won a Tony Award for "The Boy from Oz" and has starred in all those "X-Men" movies that I can't really ever seem to follow, stars opposite the beautiful Nicole Kidman in the upcoming epic "Australia" directed by the talented and charismatic Baz Luhrman. I cannot wait to see it.

Even though they have been voted off "Survivor Gabon," gay lawyer Charlie and straight doctor Marcus have effortlessly continued their bromance at a place called The Ponderosa which is where you stay if you are a jury member.

"We really see ourselves as a unit like we did in the game," said Marcus.

All clean-shaven, these guys are even hotter! And so cute together. Says Charlie of his post-Survivor digs: "It's been a blast. It's like the best vacation I've ever had. Later, after they go on a run, Charlie talks about how fit he feels and while he speaks to the camera, Marcus makes goofy faces. It's so sweet. Then they spend way too much time choosing their clothes for Tribal Council.

What's fun about being out and proud and being BFFs wit a straight guy who's not threatned by that, is that you can say things like this: When trying on clothes, Charlies picks up a long-sleeved, stripped shirt and says to Marcus: "This one's good because you turn me on when you wear this."

Bonus video: Here is Charlie's first post-eviction interview:

Joy Behar guest hosted "Larry King Live" on Friday and her main guest was the great actress Cynthia Nixon. These two redheads discussed gay marriage and it's so great to see these two intelligent women together on TV.

Joy opened by saying: "I've made my vuews on gay rights well known. I'm a big supporter. That said, expect an even-handed spirited debate where both sides of the issue are fairly represented." Thank God the other side wasn't repped by Elisabeth "talking points" Hasselbeck.

Nixon, as usual, knows her stuff and is a very good spokesperson for the LGBT community. She's in a relationship, she's a mother, and she's not afraid to be political: Of Prop. 8's passage she said: "I think it's disappointing, I think it's a setback but I think it's a minor setback. I think we might have lost these particular battle but there's no question that time is on our side and we are going to win the war."

I had been wishing Rosie O'Donnell (who like Cynthia does not live in California) would speak out some but with someone like Nixon willing to do so, it does fill Rosie's void rather nicely and Rosie can focus on her variety specials, movies and going to Broadway shows. She deserves to enjoy herself even if, to those of us who have admired her for her activism in the past, remain baffled at her lack of action at this very important time in the gay rights movement.

Entertainment Weekly magazine put Robert Downey Jr. at the top of its 25 Entertainers of the Year list. It's a good list, certainly better than Barbara Walters completely ridiculous top 10 most intriguing people of the year special (Tom Cruise, again? WHY?). I'm glad to see the "Sex and the City" ladies represented (no. 8) the great Meryl Streep (no. 11), the dapper Jon Hamm (no. 19) and the talented Richard Jenkins (no. 22). But what really made me happiest was the name next to No. 25: Neil Patrick Harris.

Here's an excerpt of what the magazine wrote about NPH's magical year:

He made an old-school star turn as the titular mad scientist in Joss Whedon's wildly siccessful online musical "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." He continued to mine the self-parody gold of "Neil Patrick Harris" in the "Harold and Kumar" franchise. He brought compelling new depth to his role as Barney on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" without losing an ounch of womanizing ooze. And if you laughed at all during this year's black hole of an Emmy broadcast, it was probably due to his bone-dry aside about "Howie Mandel's prattling."

While Harris is humble about his current critical mass - "It timed itself out very well, and I had very little do with that" he insists - he'll simply have to accept some of the credit.

"I just hope I'm not going to open up the magazine next week and see the little arrow sticking through me three pages after the Bullseye saying 'NPH, enough already!'"

Not a chance.

**************************************************************************************

The photo of NPH and co-star Jason Segel has nothing to do with his entertainer of the year honor except that when looking for art to post with this, I came across this same-sex smooch scene. It was amusing and a tiny bit hot.

The photos of Ryan Reynolds running the New York City Marathon a few weeks back were so good. They only problem was, I needed an excuse to post even more of them.

When I came across this clip of Ryan appearing on "The Rachel Ray Show," it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Ryan ran the 26-plus miles to raise money for Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's Disease foundation and in this segment, Rachel gives him a check for $19,000 to bring his total to $100,000. Rather than accept it himself, out comes Michael J. Fox himself and the two do a cute little slow dance and talk about the race. It's a sweet little reunion.

Enjoy!

Let's face it, they don't make stars like Mitzi Gaynor anymore.

Best known as the leading lady in the blockbuster musical "Rogers & Hammerstein's South Pacific," Gaynor is a rare talent who can sing, dance and tell jokes all while looking amazingly bright-eyed and beautiful.

I was surprised to discover that she never really saw herself as a screen beauty when headlining such 50s musicals as "Les Girls," "Anything Goes," "Bloodhounds of Broadway," and "The I Don't Care Girl."

"I always thought I looked like a dog's dinner," she joked. "And I never thought I was all that good in the movies. They really didn't quite know what to do with me in the movies."

But they did know what to do with Gaynor on television where she was a sensation in a series of annual TV specials that aired annually from the late 60s through the late 70s. They featured spectacular costumes by Bob Mackie who also designed for Cher and Carol Burnett and the list of guest stars reads like a Who's Who of television.

There is a renewed interest in the specials are the subject of the new DVD documentary "Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years" out Tuesday. The specials were the focus of an evening at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences four nights ago and of KOCE's fundraising drive this weekend.

"From the time TV started, I'd been offered all kinds of things but I never wanted to do (a series)," Gaynor explained to me a few days before the Academy event. "Gene Kelly had suggested only doing event television and that's why I only did specials."

Watching the specials now, the 77-year-old Gaynor said "is just a revelation for me. I didn't know I did that! Now, I'm thrilled. I'm loving every moment of it."

The newfound attention comes at a good time. Two years ago, Gaynor's husband Jack Bean died after 52 years of marriage. He was the producer of her specials and guided her career.

"When he passed away, I just mourned," she said.

Then she decided to return to performing and is putting together a stage show to take on the road early next year with dates already booked in San Francisco, Palm Springs and in Cerritos.

"(Performing) was his life for me and I owe it to him to go back," she said.

Another reason for getting back on stage three years shy of 80: "It's not that I'm not lazy, I just don't want everything to fall on the floor all at once...I'll always a gypsy my dear."

Here are some videos of her spectacular specials in all their glory:

And here is Mitzi doing the title number in the film "Anything Goes"

This is a number from the film "De-Lovely" starring Kevin Kline as Cole Porter. Enjoy!

I'm missing Rosie O'Donnell the gay activist right now. She waged a brave battle against the ban on gay adoption in Florida, started the gay family cruises, dramatically traveled across the country to get married in San Francisco in 2004, and during her year as co-host of "The View," she talked about partner Kelli and their four children on the show all the time and I think opened some people's minds.

But as people are marching for equal rights in dozens of states this weekend, Rosie has come off as indifferent. At Friday night's Broadway opening of "Billy Elliot," Rosie spoke to "Extra" and was asked to react to the passing of Proposition 8: "I was married four years and I was annulled three years ago, so for me this fight is not new. Prop 8 is nothing new for me. This has been a long journey...and eventually the world will catch up."

Been there, done that I guess.

She's glad Sarah Palin was not elected veep but said: "I'd like to have a beer with her. I'd like to meet her kids. She seems like a pretty nice woman. Although I have to say, I am thrilled her party did not win. [But] you got to give it to her for spunk."

What has happened to our Rosie?

Ashton Kutcher was on Bill Maher's show Friday night and his comments on Proposition 8 were from the heart. Take a look.

.

Oh, I love this. This really puts the cherry on top of a wonderful day as far as the recharged gay rights movement goes. The AP reports that the very funny and very smart comedian Wanda Sykes talked publicly this weekend, for the first time, about being a lesbian.

The "New Adventures of the Old Christine" co-star said at a gay rights rally in Las Vegas on Saturday the passage of the same-sex marriage ban in California has led to her be more outspoken about being gay: "You know, I don't really talk about my sexual orientation. I didn't feel like I had to. I was just living my life, not necessarily in the closet, but I was living my life,"

"Everybody that knows me personally they know I'm gay," she added. "But that's the way people should be able to live their lives."

She said passage of Proposition 8 made her feel like she was "attacked."

"Now, I gotta get in their face," she said. "I'm proud to be a woman. I'm proud to be a black woman, and I'm proud to be gay."

So proud of you Wanda! Now I'm an even bigger fan...

Here's xome video from the event:

Bonus clip: Here is one of Wanda's earlier comedy routines on hay marriage:

Good grief, this a three-parter! Good thing I took a nap when I got home from the march late this afternoon!
I certainly didn't want to give short shrift to Lorri L. Jean, the CEO of the LA Gay & Lesbian Center who has been so passionate about this fight, been talking about it, and calling for action long before this past election. On Saturday, she looked out over the huge crowd and said of its size: "This is what happens when we are denied our rights! ... Everybody is here to speak out against injustice at all levels. I want to thank all of you for coming today and I especially want to thank the young leaders who did most of the work of pulling this event together. They have found their voice, they're helping to lead, they are using the Internet to organize and are teaching many of us grizzled old veterans some new ways to power."

"Last night on the Larry King show on CNN, they kept running a banner calling this the war over gay marriage. That's not quite right. This is a war for fundamental civil rights and basic human decency. (applause). And let there be no doubt about it, we might have lost this particular battle, but we are going to win this war." (more applause).

Lorri added: "November 4 is a day that will live in imfamy because it was the very first time in our nation's history that a majority of voters went to the ballot box and stripped a minority of their fundamental rights. That is an outrage!"

She closed by saying: "All of us here must vow today to do everything we can to oveturn this travesty of justice, to make right this horrible wrong that has been done."

Following Lorri onto the stage were three lovely ladies with huge gay followings: Ricki Lake, Lucy Lawless and Marissa Jaret Winokur,

Said Ricki: "There's a line that I say (in the first 'Hairpray' movie') "I wish I was dark-skinned. Well today, I wish I was gay! I'm thrilled to be here to show my suport."

Chimed in Marissa: "I am here to support all of you and to support my son in marrying a man someday. He's only three months old but we're hoping!"

Added Lucy: "We rode the soul train (subway) in this morning and it was so great with everybody piling in at each station, it was really exciting. There's an old Chinese saying which is: 'Do not fear, the enemy is outside the walls. Fear the wall builders.' But can you feel that wall coming down? And you know what? They will fight back with their bag of dirty tricks but keep spreading the love and do the right thing...Be warriors for equality!"

As the rally was wrapping up and the march beginning, I had a quick word with Ricki Lake in the VIP area. She said the election of Barack Obama and passage of Prop. 8 on the same night reminded her of the divide she often addressed on her old talk show: "We even did gay marriage back then and you always have these groups of people that are homophobic, that are ignorant, that are un-Christian-like and I think it's just heartbreaking. ..It's fear, it's also self-hatred, it's self-loathing. It's all this fear-based information that's out there. We need to stop hating people and start loving everyone."

Then it was off to march!

I grabbed a beautiful poster that had been taped to the back of the stage to march with because I had given my rainbow flag to some little kid earlier.

Did the first part down Spring Street and beyond with Brad Fuhr of PrideRadio, Michael Fererra, the CEO of Lifeworks Mentoring and his husband Gregg Boyd.

\Then caught up with my pal Jim Key and Thomas Soule )pictured above) who has just begun working in public information at the LA Gay & Lesbian Center and who I had met at the NLGJA convention a few years back. It was damned hot by this time, about 95 degrees. At one point we passed by a rough-looking pool bar and discussed how out of place we might seem if we went in there. Jim jokingly imagined we'd say: "Three Appletinis please." We also were getting just a tad tired of doing the same chant: "What do we want? Equal rights! When do we want 'em?" "Now!" It's a good chant but we were just thirsty for a little variety.

Speaking of thirst, we were soon near Olvera Street - parched - so Thomas and I darted over to get drinks, losing Jim in the process. Then we marched, and marched, and marched. But there was no more chanting and once we went over the freeway overpass and were in front of Chinatown, we wondered where everyone was heading - there were thousands of people going up Alameda but we decided not to be two of them. Thomas and I joined hundreds of other people at the subway station and headed back to Union Station then onto the red line for the ride back to Hollywood.

An amazing day.

Photos courtesy of Jim Key, LAist and Advocate.com

If you want your rally to move along nicely with a little bit of humor mixed in, then try and get Alec Mapa, the self-proclaimed "America's Gaysian Sweetheart" as your host. He bounded to the stage set up at First and Spring streets Saturday morning and greeted the estimed 10,000 to 11,000 people there to support marriage equality for gays and lesbians.

Alec opened with the day's most used chant: "What do we want?" "Equal Rights!" When Do we want 'em?" "Now!" Then he said: "Good morning! And welcome to the future!"

Loud cheers.

Alec: "The passage of Prop. 8 was not the ending of our movement toward marriage equality, it was only the beginning! Look around you! This is not over by a long shot. We are one of hundreds of cities worldwide in nine different countries standing in solidarity for this movement today."

Mapa, who recently married his partner of seven years, encouraged conversation with family and friends and encouraged everyone "to make this the most interesting Thanksgiving you've ever had!" He also recalled the emotions of his wedding day: "On the day that we got married, my husband's Church of Christ parents were there, my own Filipino Catholic family was there. And on that day we realized that there is only one kind of love. On that day all of our families realized that we all want the same things. The only difference is, we're gay so we want nicer things!"

Here are excerpts from some of the speeches:

Bill Rosendahl, the only openly gay member of the Los Angeles City Council: "This is the birth of Stonewall 2! And we will never, ever get off the streets, out of the courts or not make demands for full equality. ...
Rosendahl was joined on the stage by Diane Olson and Robin Tyler, the couple whose lawsuit was the basis for the California Supreme Court ruling last spring that granted marriage rights to same-sex couples.
"On May 16 we were granted equality and on June 16 they kicked off 18,000 weddings.," he said of the couple. "They are the lesbians who started this all and they're the Rosa Parks of our fight for equality."

A few minutes before 11 a.m., about a half-hour into the rally, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villariagosa arrived at the rally coming directly from the fires in the San Fernando Valley. His speech was at times very inspiring:

"I love you Los Angeles!" the mayor began. "I love you in every sense of the word!"

"Some have said, 'Well Mr. Villariagosa, I don't like your position on Proposition 8.' They said, 'Who are you to get involved in this issue?' Well I think we got elected to stand up for a constitution. I think we got elected to stand up for the idea that in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of God, thou shall not discriminate! (long applause). "You know, I didn't live - none of us did - during the times of Jesus. But I'd like to believe that the Jesus I love, the Jesus I pray to, didn't just talk about being a shepherd, he knew that the role of the shepherd was to bring the flock in. All of the flock. Every one of us."

The mayor later added: "You can't deny a fundamental right just because a majority says so (applause).

"We come today to begin a conversation because it's not just gonna be about demonstrations. It's not just gonna be about the Internet. We're gonna have conversations in our neghborhoods, in our schools, in our churches ... in city halls and the halls of congress, in the legislature. We're gonna take every opportunity to begin that conversation all the way to The White House!"

He then prepared to head back to the fires but first said: "Every one of us here has to commit to going back home, to talking to our friends and our family. This is not about a march on November 15. This is not about the anger and the pain and the disappointment that we all feel just a few short days after this election. ...We believe in this great state, we believe in this great America. We believe that all things are possible and we will continue our fight until every one of us has the right, the fundamental right, to marry, to live in liberty and freedom, to be able to participate. To have the same civil rights that we expect in this great country we love so much."

That was an awesome speech! Why was Villariagosa not featured in any of the No on Prop. 8 commercials I wonder (unless i missed it).

Darryl Stephens, who I had spoken to before the rally, followed the mayor onto the stage and talked about his euphoria over Barack Obama being elected president then the crashing down of emotions over the passage of Prop. 8. "I got stuck on the question: 'Had I done enough?' If we had this kind of turnout at the No on Prop. 8 phone banks, we might not be here. And with that disappointment and frustration, came anger. And anger can be dangerous: it can make a lot of amazing things happen but it can also tear them down even faster."

He said his "heart broke" when he learned that blacks had overwhelmingly voted in favor of the measure, more than any other ethnic group: "What were my people thinking? But, just as it was ignorance that fueled the yes on 8 vote, it was just as ignorant to point to one group for a failure that was all of ours. Don;t get me wrong, it sucks that it passed. It sucks that it was on the ballot in the first place. But perhaps now it is time for us as the gay community to reach out - out of our bubble. And perhaps now people of color will see how important it is to come out to our families because so many of us who come out, get out. And when we move away, that community grows up not seeing gay brothers and sisters that look like them, that live down the street with them, went to school with them, swam in their pools, played basketball in their driveway... The black community and the gay community are not mutually exclusive."

Civil rights attorney Connie Rice talked strategy with the crowd: "Listen up: we';re fighting with you in the courts. If the courts don't do it, then we have a long campaign and it;s gonna take strategy - smart strategy.... Don't blow it. Let me tell you why the country is coming with us. Because of the manifest dignity of those wonderful couples together longer than most of the folks in the straight community I know."

Rice reminded people to not let their anger get the best of them: "If you think Martin Luther King wasn't pissed as hell, you're wrong. But you want to know something? They put that in the trunk of the car, in the back of the bus while they went to the front of the bus and we've got to do the same thing. Dignity! Equality! Now!"

Wow. what an amazing speaker. I'm so glad Connie Rice is on our side.

Coming up: The passionate speech of LA Gay and Lesbian Center CEO Lorri L. Jean, my post-rally interview with Rikki Lake and the march around the streets of downtown LA to Chinatown.

Photos courtesy of Jim Key

An amazing day.

I was among the estimated 12,000 to 13,000 people who descended upon downtown Los Angeles this morning for a major rally and march in support of same-sex marriage. It was such an adventuire and so inspiring. The fires that are raging in SoCal were also on everybody's mind but the event did go on as planned and was a rousing success.

I'm first going to share with you my adventure in getting downtown from my home in the Fairfax District. I confess, I've never taken the subway in Los Angeles. In New York City, DC, London, Paris and Chicago yes. Los Angeles? Never. It was an experience - a really good one. I hopped on the red line at the Hollywood & Highland station at around 9:15 with dozens of other marchers toting signs. The crowd grew with every stop. A friend remarked: "I don't think I've ever seen this many queens in a subway." It made me laugh and he insisted I not quote him by name!

Actor David Dean Bottrell ("Boston Legal") was standing nearby in our subway car and I wanted to get his thoughts on the uprising that has taken place since the passage of Prop. 8 last week.

"I don't love crowds but I'm willing to go down and brave it today because I really do believe that Prop. 8 has got to be repealed," David said. "I am very proud not only of the gay community but of the straight community that has come out to support this. It's very, very important that the people of California know what happened: a very large group of people lost their civil rights and it was done in a popular vote which is not how we do things in this country. This is a judicial issue and it should be settled in the courts the way that all civil rights issues are settled."

Got to First and Spring streets pretty early but there were already lots of people there toting such signs as "I Can See Hate from My House" (a riff on Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on SNL), "Thank You Gavin Newsom," "Justice For All," "Marriage is a Human Right,"

I quickly staked out a place with fellow journalist Karen Ocamb (pictured above) in the front so we could see the speeches clearly. But our friend Jim Key of the LA Gay & Lesbian Center soon got us into the VIP section and we were able to roam around and chat with various folks before the "official" festivities began including well-known civil rights attorney Connie Rice who told Karen and I why she was at the rally:

"I have fought exclusion based on race, gender, national orgin, class, disability, age, you name it. If I'm against exclusion and on those basis, I have to be, absolutely, against exclusion based on sexual orientation. We cannot have a two-tier separate and unequal allocation of basic rights. This is about equal access to basic rights."

"I'm the great-granddaughter of slaves and slave owners. We are talking about civil law, not religious law. In the realm of civil law, my great-grandparents who were slaves could not marry. My grandparents, because they were African-Americans, they did not have full rights. My marriage to a Jewish man was at one time illegal under civil law. We changed all of those laws. Now, it;s time to end separate and unequal marriage for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals. If you have civil law and its a fundamental right, the majority does not have the whim tio change it. It cannot be changed on a whim."

I then spotted West Hollywood City Councilman John J. Duran who has spoken so eloquently about the issue before and after the election. I wondered what his thoughts were about this uprising that has occured since the election and the unprecedented activism among younger people. Here's what Duran had to say:

"I'm pleasantly surprised and I'll tell you why. A lot of these kids, and I call them My kids, they didn't experience the battle during the AIDS epidemic in the 80s. They were children or not even born yet. This is sort of the first time that they've felt the sting of some sort of state-sponsored oppression. Half the people in this state just told them they belong as second-class citizens. That's very upsetting. I guess for some of the old-timers like myself, this is the nature of the game: three steps forward, two back. But for them, this is the first time they've had the back of the hand come across them and they;ve responded as I did when I was their age. So out of these ranks is the future of the gay and lesbian community of Southern California. It's absolutely thrilling."

And then there was Darryl Stephens who I have written a lot about on the blog recently in connection to his performance as the title character in the film "Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom." What I'm discovering is that he isn't just Darryl Stephens the actor, he is a very well-spoken activist and leader.

"It's really impressive that so many groups came together, leaders of organizations in Los Angeles came together to pull this into a cohesive rally and it's great to have the support of the police and the city and the mayor and straight allies. It's so inspiring on so many levels. It's awful that Proposition 8 passed, but I have to say, the rallies that have happened since then, seeing all these people come together in the streets, it's awe-inspiring and it's really moving. I'm so happy to be here."

So where do we go from here? Here's what Darryl had to say:
"The fact is, gay folks kind of live in a bubble in West Hollywood and other gay neighborhoods. We held Prop. 8 protest rallies on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Robertson where we didn't really need to convince anybody. We really need to get out of our bubble and start reaching out to people in our communities because the gay community encompasses everybody. There are Black, Latino, Catholic, Morman. Everybody is here and we have to start reaching out to those people in our communities and in our families who don't quite get it yet. Realy I think it's a matter of exposure, it's a matter of knowing people who you love who are gay. I think we're so used to moving out of our communities, moving away from those people who don't quite know what to do with us yet. We have to go back and we have to let them know how important equality is for us and that we are living the same lives that they're living and we want the same rights that they have."

I found myself a nice spot by the stage and listened to the speeches that followed, so full of passion. Kudos to Mayor Antonio Villariagosa for coming straight from the fires in Sylmar to keep his appointment with us.

Photos courtesy of Jim Key and LAist

Melissa Etheridge and her wife Tammy Lynn appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" Friday from their home office to talk about their frustrations concerning the passage of Proposition 8. Melissa said Election Day was bittersweet for her. "We were celebrating Obama's victory. We were so happy for our nation moving forward, and yet we felt this pull backward. We felt a kick in the gut."
Melissa said she thinks part of the reason Proposition 8 passed was that the wording on the ballot was confusing. "If you vote yes, it means no, [you don't want gay marriage to be legal]. If you vote no, it means yes, [you want gay marriage to be legal]. It was very complicated."

The passage of Proposition 8 also brings up complex issues about the separation of church and state, Melissa said. Some people believe marriage is about religion, whereas she believes it's about civil rights. "We are a country that allows all religious freedoms. It's wonderful," Mellissa told Oprah. "But, I [should] still get to have the same rights as you do."

Since the California Supreme Court ruled that gay citizens should be allowed to marry in May 2008, more than 18,000 same-sex couples have tied the knot. What will happen to newlywed couples like Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, now that Proposition 8 has passed?

Melissa said their fate is still undecided. "What I've heard is the courts are trying to decide [if] this nullifies those [18,000] marriages or if they can still go forward," she says. "If you nullify it, just taking rights away from people blows my mind. But if you okay it, then Ellen and Portia can be married, but Tammy and I can't? What sense does that make?"

Here's some video of the appearance:

Oftentimes, Tammy says people get hung up on the word "marriage" when discussing gay couples. "I would like to see more people looking at just making sure we all have the same rights. Who cares what kind of fistful of letters you want to call your relationship?"

Currently, Melissa and Tammy are bound by a civil union, which was made legal by former California Governor Gray Davis. They may be recognized as domestic partners, but Melissa says this classification does not guarantee them the same rights as married couples. For instance, Melissa says they can't file the same income tax return. "There's a lot of things people take for granted in a marriage--[like] combining two incomes into a household," she said.

Despite this setback, Melissa remains hopeful. She says the fight for same-sex marriage has gone beyond the gay community, and straight people are starting to stand up for gay rights as well. "There are people really coming out because they're starting to understand that what you do to someone else, you do to yourself," she says. "None of us can be free unless all of us are free."

Melissa said she was also inspired by the unity she saw on Election Day. "We feel this feeling of unity coming over not only just our country ... this feeling of oneness, this feeling of understanding," she says. "I feel you all know we can't be left behind. There's no more 'us' and 'them.' There's no more, 'We get these rights, but they don't.' That's last century--we're moving on."

"I feel that hope too," Oprah said. "You said it as beautifully as could be said."

Recap courtesy of Oprah.com.

*** Actress Ricki Lake will be among those participating in tomorrow's rally at Los Angeles City Hall which is part of a national "Day of Action." The event is organized by Freedom-Action-Inclusion-Rights (F.A.I.R.) with the support and involvement of many other organizations, and was developed in the wake of the recent passage of Proposition 8. It is being held simultaneously with rallies at city halls across the nation and around the world. The Los Angeles rally will be followed by a march through Downtown Los Angeles, which will end at the Los Angeles Historic Park, commonly known as "the Cornfield."

To find a rally near you, go to the JointheImpact site.

*** This poster, created by graphic designer and illustrator Shepard Fairey (she created many of the images for the Obama campaign) is intended for use at this weekend's rallies in California and across the nation. It'sd a very powerful image.

*** Opponents of Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment approved by voters last week that bans same-sex marriage in California, are ready to take a mulligan on the election and try it all over again in two years, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, said in an e-mail Wednesday that backers of same-sex marriage are planning to collect signatures to put an initiative on the 2010 ballot that would overturn the gay marriage ban.

The Chronicle writes that If that wins, it's likely that opponents of same-sex marriage would gather signatures to place a new ban on the 2012 ballot, followed by gay rights advocates planning their own new initiative for 2014, with religious groups then looking to 2016 ... and so forth.

The signature drive will only happen if the state Supreme Court declines to toss out the Prop. 8 vote, as opponents of the measure have urged.

"We hope we don't have to go back to the voters," Kors said. "These things shouldn't be decided by voters."

*** More than 2,300 donors stepped up to the plate by donating nearly $60,000 in less than a week through InvalidateProp8.org to support the effort to overturn Prop 8. The LA Gay and Lesbian Center launched the website on November 7 to support the fight to invalidate Prop 8. The effort offers donors an opportunity to contribute while sending a message to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which played a leading role in funding the deceptive Yes on 8 campaign. For each donation of $5 or more at InvalidateProp8.org, the Center sends Thomas Monson, president of the Mormon church, a postcard to let him know a donation was made in his name to fund legal and grass-roots efforts supporting marriage equality.

The contributions have poured in from nearly all 50 states and from countries around the world including Canada, Mexico, Australia, Denmark, England, Germany, Japan, Singapore and South Africa.

*** The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Chief of Staff, Darrel Cummings, has issued the following statement: "Today, the Mormon temple in Los Angeles received an envelope containing white powder, raising the specter of anthrax. While the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center organized a peaceful demonstration against the involvement of the leadership of the Mormon Church in the deceitful Yes on Prop 8 campaign, we decry the use or threat of violence. Just as the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community seeks the right to be treated equally under the law, all Americans should have the right to live lives free from fear and violence."

*** The Advocate reports that Los Angeles Film Festival director Richard Raddon turned up on the secretary of state's donation list as having given money to Yes on 8, backing the California ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage throughout the state.

Movie City News blogger David Poland turned up the $1,500 donation Wednesday morning on the California secretary of state's website. Raddon is a Mormon and the producer of a number of independent films, including the Lili Taylor-Guy Pearce movie "A Slipping-Down Life." Raddon has been with the festival since 2000. Film Independent made a statement to Poland, saying no employee can be fired for their religious affiliation.

Isaiah Washington tells TV Guide that one way to fix "Grey's Anatomy's" probems would be: "Bring Burke back!" He said he would "absolutely" return to the show he was fired from last year following a controversy involving his co-star T.R. Knight and the alleged use of a gay slur against him during an on-set squirmish with Patrick Dempsey.

Washington was asked if there was anything he wanted to clear up about the alleged on-set incident (followed by a bizarre outbvurst backstage at the Golden Globe Awards during which he said to the world press: {"I did not call T.R. a faggot."). He was then sent to some kind of anger management course, tagged by many as ":gayhab."

He says now: The rehab thing was incorrent.There's no such thing as rehabilitiation. I was given an opportunity to go to executive counseling so I could get away from the media. The world still thinks I taunted T.R. Knight and called him the F-word which I didn't. [The assumption was] that all the problems would end if the bad guy, Isaiah Washington, was removed."

Now the show finds itself in another controversy after the abrupt firing of actress Brooke Smith, who played a brilliant surgeon involved in a lesbian romance with the character played by Sara Ramirez.

"My life has changed since I left "Grey's," he said. "Thank God I've been able to get other work. But the fact is that just before the holidays, you have a mother, a wonderful actress removed from a steady income without the proper reasoning behind it."

A Socialite's Life got this quote from Josh Brolin at last night's LA Premiere of "Milk" in which he is one of the stars:

He had this to say about gauy marriage: "Who gives a s***! Who cares! Doesn't mean [gay and lesbian people] are going to stop kissing in the streets, just cause they can't get married. And that's the issue for the religious, that it's visible and it's always going to be visible, it ain't going to go away. ... Gay life is more mainstream, but at the same time, things like this happen and you go, 'You got to be kidding me!' especially in California. I think it's awful, but I understand it, everybody has their perspective."

I was not at the "Milk" premiere last night (invitation lost in the mail I guess) but I was covering the Environmental Media Awards a few miles away at Ebell Theatre. Asked some of the celebs about Prop. 8 when they stopped by for a chat.

Wilmer Valderrama: "Honestly, we live in such an incredible country where all of us have the freedom to say, do and aspire higher to whatever we can and I believe that everybody should do with their life whatever they want to do. I think as long as all of us are happy and inspiring each other, we're in a country that should be moving forward and understanding that if we have Obama as the president, then anything else should be acceptable."

(I'm not sure what he;'s saying but I think Wilmer is unhappy with the Prop. 8 passage)

Hart Bochner, the handsome actor-director currently on USA's "A Starter Wife" said: "I think given we are evolving as a civilization, I think it is extremely unfortunate that we can't recognize that there's room for everybody on this planet. Everyone should be afforded dignity in living a life they want as long as their not imposing their values on anybody else. I think it's really unfortunate that the populace didn't get that and hopefully that will be overturned."

The timing of 'Milk" just gets better and better and the new gay equal rights movement picks up momentum. Here are some video interviews from last night's red capret at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Theatre in LA. There was a demonstration in front of the theater as well.

Star Sean Penn told "Entertainment Tonight" on his way in: "What originally drew me to it was Gus Van Sant ... a wonderful film maker, and I think he's told this story beautifully. And all of us got very involved with the story once we exposed ourselves to it."

Lance Bass was at last night's Environmental Media Awards but breezed by me on the green carpet. He was one of the first presenters and it was near showtime. But I still shouted a question to him: "Lance! Are you gonna do any Prop. 8 marches?" He stopped for a half-second and said: "As much as I have time for." Then he was off.

Fortunately, "Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba (Lance is still in contention for the title!) had more time to gab when I saw her at the People's Choice Award nominations Monday morning. I asked her about Lance's chances to win.

"Lance is great but he's got Lacey (as a partner) and she's sometimes a trouble-maker out there," Carrie said. "And there's nothing wrong with that, I think rebels are good. She's brought a new energy that challenges some of the beliefs of our show which sometimes works for her, and sometimes doesn't. I don't always agree with her choices, but I love the fact that she's making them and she's doing what she needs to do and that's not easy."

In other words, Lance is toast unless the viewers vote for him in a big way!

Carrie Ann Inaba also handicapped the rest of the field and reflected on the amazing run of Cloris Leachman who was finally eliminated a few weeks back.

"Cloris is a phenomenon, truly," she said. "The woman is 82 years old. If you really get realistic about what that is, you look at your grandma who's having trouble walking. And (Cloris) is out there throwing herself into the death drops and everything and having a great time. I think she was so inspirational for older people and younger people."

But Cloris is now gone. So who's gonna win?

"I think it's gonna be real interesting," she said. " Cody Lynley may not be one of the front-runners but he's got this real great energy. I'm real excited to see where he's gonna go. Brooke Burke and Derek Hough are just phenomenal. They are, I think, the best dancers we've ever had on the show. But that doesn't necessarily equate to them winning."

Lynley, Burke, Warren Sapp and Bass are the final four competing for a spot in the finals.

It's been a tough season physically for some dancers and celebs alike. Among the mishaps Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor was seriously injured during a rehearsal and forced to drop out, sprinter Maurice Greene hyper-extended his leg before being eliminated last week, dancer Julianne Hough missed some shows in order to have surgery and her brother Derek and dancer Kym Johnson also have had injuries.

"I don't think it's a cursed season, I think this was the most ambitious season we've ever had," Inaba said. "The producers really put the challenge in front of all these people because as America's been watching our show, they want to see more too. I think this season, more than ever, has shown America that dancing is a physical sport and maybe people have more respect for it now which is great."

I've got lots more to post today including a round-up of Prop. 8 news (both Oprah and Larry King focus on the topic on their respective shoiws today), a chat with Carrie Ann Inaba about Lance Bass' chances of winning 'Dancing With the Stars' and more from Isaiah Washington's interview with TV Gude.

But until I get to all of that, how 'bout a few pics of the delicious Robert Buckley of "Lipstick Jungle"? I got an early screener of his new Lifetime movie with Heather Locklear ("Flirting With 40") and here's a tip: he's a sufring instructor in Hawaii. The shirt is off A LOT.

...and I'm gonna be there! It's the first day of a two-week vacation for me and I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be.

Here are the details:

Please join a peaceful rally at L.A. City Hall this Saturday, November 15, at 10:30 a.m. in support of marriage equality for all. Saturday's rally, which is being organized by FAIR, will be part of a national statement. It's one of many rallies at city halls all over the country at the same time on Saturday.

L.A. City Hall is located at 200 Spring Street, and participants are encouraged to use the Metro. To reach city hall, take the Purple/Red Line to Civic Center station.

No Prop. 8 stuff but it's always nice to watch the Silver Fox and Jay spoke out early in favbr of gay marriage. The most amuxing part is Anderson's thoughts on "Real Housewives of Atlanta." Here's a thought though: If Anderson were openly gay, Jay's breast jokes about one of the housewives woiuld have really fallen flat. Instead, you have Anderson sort of chuckling and saying, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Enjoy!

This is what went down yesterday. It ain't pretty. More details on Queerty.com

This seems to be much-needed and I'm glad to see it.

Dear Community,

We are on the cusp of a new era as our country has elected its first African-American president, Barack Obama. We hope this unprecedented event will usher in a new chapter in our nation's history.
This past week has been a difficult time. With the passage of Proposition 8 in California to change the state constitution to eliminate the right to marry, our community has experienced a difficult defeat. We are angry and upset by the passage of Proposition 8 and the betrayal of the promise of equality that has been the hallmark of the Golden State. Yet, we know that this is only a setback in--not the end of--our journey toward full equality for the LGBT community.

It is natural to analyze what went wrong. But in recent days there has been a tendency to assign blame to specific communities, in particular, the African American community. The fact is, 52 percent of all Californians, the vast majority of whom were not African Americans, voted against us. In addition, the most recent analysis of the exit poll that drove much of this speculation determined that it was too small to draw any conclusion on the African American vote, and further polling shows that the margin was much closer than first reported. Most importantly, though, none of this discourse changes the outcome of the vote. It only serves to divide our community and hinder our ability to create a stronger and more diverse coalition to help us overturn Proposition 8 and restore full equality and human rights to LGBT people. It also deflects responsibility from the group that is responsible for this miscarriage of justice: The Yes on 8 campaign. They waged a deceitful and immoral campaign that brought about this violation of our human rights and dignity.
We as a community have come so far. Let's not lose sight of this. Since Proposition 22 passed eight years ago by 22 percentage points, we have made our case to the people of California. We have talked to our families, co-workers and friends about what true equality looks like. In so doing, we have narrowed the gap substantially since that time. And, in the last week, we have continued to move forward with a great wave of non-violent protest and a strong and powerful legal case put together by some of the keenest legal minds, supported by the governor, our senators and many other elected officials in our state. Moreover, we have seen a great national movement growing in support of equal rights for the LGBT community as a result of our actions in California.

We are hopeful the election of Barack Obama signals a new spirit of collaboration among diverse groups of people. There are many allied communities--straight, African-American, Latino, Asian Pacific Islander, people of faith, and secular people--who are energized to join with us as never before. This is progress! LGBT people are a part of all those communities, and with the support of our straight allies, we know that justice will prevail.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best: "The arc of moral justice is long, but it bends toward justice." Now is the time to come together as one community working together toward human rights and full equality. We are confident that with our growing coalition we will ultimately win this fight.

Sincerely,

Ron Buckmire
Barbara Jordan/Bayard Rustin Coalition

Rea Carey
Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

Jennifer Chrisler
Executive Director, Family Equality Council

Oscar De La O
President & CEO, Bienestar

John Duran
Member, West Hollywood City Council

Rabbi Denise L. Eger
Congregation Kol Ami

Lorri L. Jean
CEO, L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center

Kate Kendell
Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights

Geoff Kors
Executive Director, Equality California

Francine Ramsey
Executive Director, Zuna Institute

Rev. Susan Russell and Rev. Ed Bacon
All Saints Episcopal Church, Pasadena

Rodney Scott
President, Christopher Street West/LA Pride

Joe Solmonese
\President, Human Rights Campaign

Rev. Dr. Neil G. Thomas
Metropolitan Community Church/LA

Vallerie D. Wagner
National Black Justice Coalition

Marshall Wong
Co-Chair, API Equality--L.A.

Whoopi Goldberg talks about her night marching in NYC last night and talks about what she learned. The segment is marred a bit by Elisabeth Hasselbeck who takes seriously her role to represent the counterpoint. She even had issue with the SIGNS the demonstrators were carrying! She would seem to be, once again, on the wrong side of history.

Here is more from the conference call I participated in yesterday with Ellen DeGeneres about her upcoming variety show "Ellen's Even Bigger Really Big Show" to air on TBS on Nov. 29 and which will tape next week in Las Vegas. It follows last year's special that was called "Ellen's Really Big Show."

"It's even bigger as the title says," Ellen said. "I think that says it all. Last year was really, really big and this year, even bigger. It's gonna be the same kind of excitement, the same kind of acts. We brought in people from all over the world who are fascincating to watch."

On her favorite things to do in Las Vegas, where the special will be taped: "Well, the buffet...I'm vegan so I'll just have salad but still, it's still a bargain."

TBS tried in vain to keep the questions to just the special but the ,majority of them were about other topics and Ellen answered all that was asked of her by me and other journlaists.

Here are some of the highlights:

Was she surprised at how much play clips from her show with guests like Barack Obama, John McCain and her own comments on gay marriage got on the various news channels?
"No. You know I guess when you get the political candidates to dance - well actually one danced, that's going to get some play. I mean, I have the picture of Barack and I dancing right outside of my dressing room door, I see it every single day, and it makes me very happy. No, I wasn't that surprised about that. I was thrilled for it, and really proud and excited as a lot of people are about this. And you know I don't think, I will. I mean, I commented on it a tiny bit leading up to the election just because there were some things to comment on, but I'm not really a political comedian. So I think I'm done with that. And you know although I never say never, I don't think I will be commenting.

On how she thinks John McCain feels about her after she put him on the hot seat over gay marriage when he guested on the show: "Well, I don't think we're going to keep in touch anyway. I mean, I would be glad to take a call from him, he seems like a nice guy. That was a moment that was an obvious question for me to ask, if he doesn't really agree with equality, and that's what it really boils down to is equality. And so - but I didn't want to - you know I wasn't going to give him too hard of a time because I understand that that's how he believes and I wasn't going to change anything, I wasn't there to change his mind, I just wanted to present just a very obvious case for it which is, we are all the same and we all deserve to have equal rights. But - and I am glad that I got picked up. I am glad people watched it and, like I said, I didn't want him to - I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable. That's not my job. It's not the kind of show I ever want to do.

On her dream talk guests: "Bono. He's an amazing man. And George Clooney of course. We're gonna capture him one day. And now I want Keith Olbermann on just because I love him, I think he's brilliant."

On possibly hosting the Academy Awards again: "It's a really tough job and I thought I did well. Now if I did it and do well, then great. And if I don't do well, then I'm kind of talked about and criticized. There's a lot going on in my life and I probably won't do it again. I kind of feel like my plate is full."

On having children: "We have a lot of friends who have babies and they're amazing and change your life. There was a time we were thinking about it, I don't know. Today it's no...and that's one of the things about not being able to accidentally get pregnant. You have to really, really want (a baby). So we're not taking it lightly. We would really think about it before we did it."

On her post-Prop. 8 passage mood: "I live my life in gratitude for the most part. The other day what happened was sad to me but everything happens for a reasons and it has caused this movement of people standing up and saying, 'This isn't fair."

On famous people coming out: "It's a big risk for people to have a big career and come out.,. But it would change things if people would live their lives., It's healthier for them. I have faith that people will open their minds and their hearts."

I'm glad Dan Savage is on ,my side is all I gotta say. Check this out.

Just love Whoopi Goldberg, the Oscar winning actress ("Ghost") and Tony winning producer ("Thoroughly Modern Millie") who is currently the moderator on "The View." She is an intelligent, thoughtful voice on television and God bless her for marching in NYC last night for equal rights for gays and lesbians. Protesters lined both sides of an avenue outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints near Lincoln Center. Leaders of the Mormon church had encouraged their members to support passage of California's Proposition 8, From the temple, protesters marched south to Columbus Circle.

Organizers of the rally estimated at least 10,000 people participated. Andy Towle of Towleroad.com has just posted a terrific report on the NYC march with more pics and video. Check it out!

Here's some video from the NYC march:

I am so irritated by Elton John today and his boneheaded comments about gay marriage that I have to cheer myself up with a gratuitous beefcake shot of Brody Jenner taken recently in Hawaii.

It doesn't really make me feel any better but he is rather nice to look at , don't you think? And he was very pleasant when I did a little red carpet interview with him a few months back at the VMA Awards.

Earlier post: Talking Bromance with Brody Jenner

Elton John is an opinionated man, as we all know. And sometimes, his opinions rub people the wrong way - like now: Elton was rather dismissive of the fight for marriage in California, a place where he holds his annual Oscar night AIDS fundraiser and where he has spent plenty of time.

"I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership," Elton said in New York this week at a benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. "The word 'marriage,' I think, puts a lot of people off."

So it puts them off Elton. Does that mean we should not have it?

In December 2005, Elton and David Furnish tied the knot in a civil partnership ceremony in Windsor, England. But, clarified the singer, "We're not married. Let's get that right. We have a civil partnership. What is wrong with Proposition 8 is that they went for marriage. Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word marriage."

"You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships."

Elton, I am very disappointed with you. You had an opportunity to speak out for our equal rights and you blew it.

Thanks a lot.

It was long ioverdue!
I missed the epic one in Silverlake over the weekend, the one in West Hollywood the night after the election, the one in Westwood the day after that and had no plans to march tonight after working in the newsroom until past 8:30 p.m. trying to get ahead on columns so I can take some time off around the holidays.

I'm driving down LeBrea and it's close to 9 p.m. There's a detour as i approached the Melrose intersection. I figure it's a bad accident and turn onto a side street. When I emerged on Melrose a few blocks west, I spotted people running down the street carrying protest signs and heard chants. I drive a few blocks south into a residential neighborhood, park, and head on over to LeBrea and catch the group of 200-plus people. I really planned to just watch but within maybe five seconds, I joined the group as we chanted:

Waht do we want?
Equal Rights!
When do we want 'em?
Now!

And this one:

"Gay, straight, black, white! Marriage is an equal right!"

I was wearing uncomfortable black dress shoes but just floated along with the energy of the crowd down to Beverly and I then realized we were heading past the El Coyote restaurant which was under fire today because one of the owners of this very popular hangout for gays and straights alike had donated $100 to the Yes on 8 campaign. A small amount of money, yes. But people feel betrayed and are furious. So when the crowd was directly in front of the restaurant, it stopped for several minutes and chanted, loudly, "Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you!"

While we were stopped, I made my way to the front to chat with the organizers. I forgot the dude's name but he told me they had begun at the intersectiion of Santa Monica Blvd. and San Vicente earlier in the evening. Once they started heading west again, I dropped out because I was already well more than a mile away from my car. On the walk back, I stopped by El Coyote to assess the mood. It was not the booming, energetic place it usually is and I think customers and staff alike were a little stunned at what had just happened.

I want to do some more marches in the coming days - but in far more comfortable shoes!

I wish I could keep up with all that is happening on the gayu marriage and Prop. 8 protest front but it could literally become a full-time job. But I'm trying my best! Here are some of the latest developments from today:
** Eight days after California voters passed Prop. 8, same-sex couples in Connecticut were "allowed" to start getting married. A final judgment came this morning on the state's gay marriage case and gay couples were immediately eligible to pick up their marriage licenses. Connecticut and Massachusetts are currently the only two states in the nation where same-sex couples can legally marry.

**** Scott Ecker, Artistic Director for California Musical Theatre under fire for donating $1,000 to the Yes on 8 Campaign, resigned from his job today.

He said in a statement: "I understand that my choice of supporting Proposition 8 has been the cause of many hurt feelings, maybe even betrayal. It was not my intent. I honestly had no idea that this would be the reaction. I chose to act upon my belief that the traditional definition of marriage should be preserved. I support each individual to have rights and access and I understood that in California domestic partnerships come with the same rights that come with marriage.
My sister is a lesbian and in a committed domestic partnership relationship. I am loving and supportive of her and her family, and she is loving and supportive of me and my family. I definitely do not support any message or treatment of others that is hateful or instills fear. This is a highly emotional issue and the accusations that have been made against me are simply not true.

I have now had many conversations with friends and colleagues, and I am deeply saddened that my personal beliefs and convictions have offended others. My choice to support the Proposition was personal, and does not represent the views and opinions of California Musical Theatre or the many people associated with the organization. I was required by law to identify my employer and occupation at the time of my donation."

"...I am disappointed that my personal convictions have cost me the opportunity to do what I love the most which is to continue enriching the Sacramento arts and theatre community."

**** El Coyote Mexican Restaurant in LA opened its doors early to host about 70 opponents of Proposition 8 Wednesday, many of whom had been longtime customers, to address the fact that Marjorie Christoffersen -- a manager - a $100 donor to the Yes on 8 campaign.

Advocate.com reports that In the restaurant's back dining room, a visibly shaken and tearful Christoffersen trembled as she read from a prepared statement. "I'm sick at heart if I offended anyone in the gay community," Christoffersen said as family members flanked her.

She pleaded with the crowd not to boycott the restaurant, telling them the only people to get hurt are the families of the El Coyote's 89 employees. "This was a personal donation," she said, "not the El Coyote's. It saddens me that my faith may keep you away from the El Coyote."

The debate on what to do continued after Christoffersen finished her remarks. A brief question-and-answer period deteriorated into a shouting match between some of the Prop. 8 opponents and Christoffersen. Her family then hustled her out of the restaurant.

There is a growing number of people in the LGBT community who have vowed to boycott the eatery, the site of unofficial gay Thursday night happy hours.

Advocate.com writes that outside the restaurant, one gay couple said they had been twice-a-week customers. One of them said he didn't know if they would be back, but his partner chimed in to say he didn't think he could ever go back.

"That changes my answer," the first man said, holding up his hand and showing his wedding ring. "We're married, and I'm not going back without him."

The conference call with Ellen DeGeneres to talk about her upcoming TBS comedy special had been on the books for weeks. Who knew then that Prop. 8 would pass and end up dominating the conversation?

Of course we were warned that Ellen would only discuss the special but she was game for just about anything. When it was my turn to ask some questions, I mentioned that she sounded a little more subdued than usual and wondered if the election had taken a toll.

"I feel good, I feel really good," she insisted. "I think the next day (after the election) a lot of people felt energized about Obama and excited for that then there was that big, loud voice saying, 'You are not equal to us' and that feels bad - really, really bad. A loud voice saying, 'You don't deserve the same rights.' So it took a little bit of air out of me from the night before.

":I feel hopeful and excited and I'm not tired or anything," she added. "But it was an emotional day for me."

During the course of the campaign, Ellen had both presidential candidates, President-Elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain on her show as well as vice President-elect Joe Biden. She also made several statements against Prop. 8. I asked her if she had suffered any viewer or advertiser backlash as a result of her political views.

"i think I'm probably protected from a lot of stuff that would be negative," she said. "Everyone is blogging about everyone so I can't possibly pay attention to that. I'm sure there are straight managers in certisan markets who aren't really thrilled with it. They probably would vote yes on 8. I'm sure they have opinions and don't really love me any which way I go. So I can't really pay attention to that."

Earlier in the call, Ellen talked about the heartfelt commentary about gay marriage that Keith Olbermann gave on his MSNBC show the other night. She talked about on her show and wants to have him on as a guest.

________________________________________________________________

"I thought Keith Olbermann was so brilliant and eloquent. I just
thought what he said is all that needs to be said, It really is about following your heart and people paying attention to what the right thing is."
________________________________________________________________

Ellen has been following the various protests that have sprung up since election day what needs to happen for same-sex marriage to be accepted: "Hopefully, (the protests) will be done peacefully and the right way. It needs for people to not be ignorant. It needs for people to open their minds and understand it's a fundamental right for people to love who they want to love and to marry who they want to marry and stop holidng on to that discrimination ...I have faith that people will realize that this is wrong."

Tomorrow: Ellen on her TBS variety special, on hosting the Oscars and how she and wife Portia de Rossi feel about having kids.

This is a woman who knows how to express herself and you know what I mean if you've ever watched any of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meetings on TV. County Supervisor Gloria Molina on Wednesday released the following statement after the board decided to join the city of Los Angeles and San Francisco and Santa Clara counties in supporting a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry:

"I am proud to present this motionco-sponsored by my colleague, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavskyto join an existing lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8. It is important for us to take a stand and uphold the equal rights of all California residents.

Last week, Proposition 8 passed by a narrow five percent margin. It eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marryand it effectively overturned the May 2008 California Supreme Court decision which found the ban on same-sex marriages to be unconstitutional on equal protection grounds.

There are three separate court challenges to Proposition 8. Their arguments are two-fold: First, that revoking an existing right guaranteed by the Equal Protection Clause of the California State Constitution is not an amendment but a revision. Second, that such a move is not a fundamental right that could be subject to popular vote; rather, it is a deliberative process requiringat a minimuma Constitutional Convention or a two-thirds vote of the California State Legislature in addition to a popular vote.

And I agree.

Some may ask why, as a county supervisor, I would get so directly involved in this issue. First, as a county, we are directly responsible for the issuance of marriage licenses. Second, we are elected officials sworn to uphold the constitution. But thirdand, in my view, most importantlywe face the dilemma of balancing the enforcement of Proposition 8 with upholding the fundamental equal protection rights of all our citizens. Simply put, we need clarity on this issue, and I believe joining one of these legal challenges to Proposition 8 is the most prompt and effective way of achieving this goal.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Separate from the legal level on the very human and personal level feel compelled to say that Proposition 8s passage saddened and angered me for several reasons.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First, Proposition 8s passage basically mandates that certain people have fewer rights than others. It says that certain brothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, uncles, mothers, and fathers are second-class citizensthat though they have all the responsibilities of citizens, they have fewer rights. That is wrong.

Second, the right to marrywith all of its attendant rights and responsibilitiesis a civil right, one that has nothing to do with religion. Nothing in the California Supreme Courts ruling or the Equal Protection Clause gives anyone the right to force any religious institution to marry anyone. So Proposition 8 is not about religion. It is about discrimination. And lest we forget, it took a California Supreme Court decision to overturn miscegenation laws in this state. As late as 1967, 16 states still had miscegenation laws on the books and in their respective constitutions. Back then, like now, opponents of this change used the same religious arguments being made today. President-Elect Barack Obamas parents would not have been able to get married in those 16 states.

Lastly, as a Latina, I am well aware of discrimination. I have dedicated my entire political career to fighting it. I began my career advocating on behalf of Spanish-speaking, Latina immigrant women whose most fundamental right of reproductive choice was taken away by others. Specifically, it was taken away by a group of county physicians who gave them no choice and no voice and who made the decision that sterilization was right for them. Such abuses of power could not stand then and they cannot stand now.

While the focus is on the gay and lesbian community, I think this is a civil rights issue for everyone. Every vulnerable minority group in this state should be extremely concerned about the ability of the majority to reach into the constitution and change it to single them out and opt them out of the constitutions protections. That is something no one in this state can or should support. And it is something I intend to fight against.

E! Online's Ted Casablanca got George Clooney to comment on the passage of Prop. 8 for his Awful Truth blog.

Here is what the Oscar winning star had to say: "At some point in our lifetime, gay marriage won't be an issue, and everyone who stood against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black."

You know that during the eight seasons of "Will & Grace," there were times you just wanted to smack the two leads in the head for being so annoying. But Jack and Karen? They could get cartoonish but were never less than hilarious.

Megan Mullally, who won two Emmy Awards for her delicious portrayal of Karen Walker, turns 50 years old today. I say we celebrate by watching a compilation of her funny moments from the show.

If you live in Los Angeles, you certainly have heard of or been to El Coyote Mexican Restaurant on Beverly near La Brea. It's been around since 1931. They have strong margaritas and cheap food and the lively atmosphere inside cannot be beat.
It's about a mile or so from my house and it is where I have celebrated many friends' birthdays and had many weekday dinners after work. I even had my going away party there when I left my job at The Hollywood Reporter more than seven years ago.

Well, it seems that the manager of this restaurant, wildly popular with gays, contributed $100 to the YES on PROP. 8 campaign and people are irate. Marjorie Christoffersen is apparently holding some kind of press conference this morning about it and my Daily News colleague Justino Aguila is there covering it so I'll have an update later.

Some gay marriage supporters are calling for a boycott. Flickr user Jeff Johnson writes that he talked with Marjorie at El Coyote yesterday and asked her about the situation, accoridng to an item on METBLOGS. She told him, "I love you guys, I would never do anything to hurt you, I wish I hadn't done it".

It's a real slap tp a lot of loyal customers and I'm anxious to hear her explanation.

Then there's this: Roland Spongberg, the president of WKS Restaurant Group which runs many of the El Pollo Loco restaurants in Southern Califonria, reportedly gave $6,000 to the YES ON 8 campaign in August, according to the That is So Queer site.

This story is developing so stay tuned...

Earlier posts:
-- Gavin Newsom: The In Los Angeles Interview
-- Gavin Newsom takes Biden to task for his debate answers about gay marriage...
-- SF Mayor Gavin Newsom's passionate remarks in Denver against Prop. 8

I was at a swanky party at a home in Beverly Hills last night rubbing elbows with the likes of Dustin Hoffman. But you don't care about that, do you? Anyway, I also saw my friend Guido there and as we munched on these incredible sweet potato fries, he was telling me about his recent trip to NYC which included taking in a performance of "Gypsy" starring Patti LuPone. He then happened to be at New York's Splash Bar when the great LuPone dropped in, unannounced, to say hello to the crowd. Michael Urie, who played her son on an episode of "Ugly Betty" last season, introduced the gay icon to the crowd.

I woulda passed out on the spot. Love. Patti. Lupone.

Anyway, I was so stoked to come across this video of the visit on Queerty.com just now. Patti chats up her new CD "Patti LuPone at Les Mouches" recorded at a gay Chelsea nightclub nearly 30 years ago but never released - until now.

Said Patti to the crowd: "I don't know what else to say except I'm a Latin from Manhattan and I love you all very much."

Earlier posts:
-- CD Review: Patti Lupone's "Gypsy" soundtrack is sweet music to my ears...
-- Alec Baldwin sings the praises of Patti LuPone...
-- Broadway legend Patti LuPone working on memoirs...
-- Tony Awards recap: Patti LuPone wins for "Gypsy" and other highlights...

I attended some movies at AFI Fest but managed to miss this one: "Patrik, Age 1.5," the latest film from acclaimed Swedish director, Ella Lemhagen. It centers on a married gay couple who move into a picture-perfect suburb outside of Stockholm, Sweden with hopes to adopt a baby boy. When they receive notice that they are to expect Patrik, age 1.5, they are elated. However, a little mistake made at the adoption agency turns their world upside down. A decimal point had been misplaced in the agency's records and a 15-year-old homophobe shows up at their front door. Even worse, they discover that he may have a criminal past.

I gotta see it! The good news is this: here! Films, the theatrical distribution and worldwide sales division of here! Networks, announced today it has acquired North American distribution rights to the film and will release it in selected cities next year.

He was the personality that made "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" so much fun. He's got personality-plus! It did seem strange that he's a fashion expert considering the wacky duds he himself wears. I like his energy and the way he has been able to segue to hosting other shows including "Looking Good Naked" on Lifetime and "Crowned" on the CW. He also emceed Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" tour last summer.

Carson turns 39 today!

Earlier posts:
-- Chatting up the Queer Eye guys...
-- Carson Kressley on being gay on television...
-- Carson Kressley's boyfriend breaks up with him ... through email!
-- Fasten your seatbelts...Carson Kressley's got his own show!

The lovely Nicole Kidman, Oscar winner for "The Hours" and star of such films as "Cold Mountain," "To Die For" and "Moulin Rouge," will star and produce "the Danish Girl." Her role is a doozy: she will play the first post-op transsexual, married to Charlize Theron, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Reporter writes of the plot, based on the true story of Danish artists Einar and Greta Wegener: Their marriage took a sharp left turn after Einar (Kidman) stood in for a female model that Greta (Theron) was set to paint. When their portraits become wildly popular in 1920s Copenhagen, Greta encouraged her husband to adopt the female guise. What began as a harmless game led Einer to a metamorphosis and landmark 1931 operation that shocked the world and threatened their love.

Kidman, once famously married to Tom Cruise, recently gave birth to a baby daughter by second husband Keith Urban. She's a very busy woman with the epic "Australia" set to open this month. She is also attached to play Dusty Springfield in a biopic about the bisexual English singer.

This is so silly and I just love every minute of it. William Shatner has again taken to the Internet to give his side of the story in his amusing feud with former "Star Trek" cast member George Takei. Shatner is far more composed and reasonable in this web interview than he was in his previous one which made him look quite bad in my opinion.

The catfight between these two 70-somethings stems from Shatner saying he wasn't invited to Takei's recent wedding and Takei insisting he was and back-and-forth etc. Shatner still maintains he was not invited but does say this time: "He's found love in his life and I'm so glad."

Then Shanter adds: "I wish he'd stop being mean to me...George has been mean to me for a long time - decades and decades. ... He continues to be mean...I'm not made at him, I'm annoyed that he keeps saying bad things about me."

This is such an interesting time. There's the "second Stonewall" feeling with protesters marching the streets and making themselves seen and heard in a glorious way. Then there is looking ahead with various legal battles on several fronts and the question of what happens to the marriages of the same-sex couples who took the plunge during the five months that it was allowed in California.

Most fascinating is the post-mortem on what happened and how it happened.

Do the leaders of No on 8 take the blame for having commercials that were too soft and for not doing enough grassroots campaigning in the African-American communities? Were people just too complacent? Should African-American voters - 70 percent of those who voted in favor of Prop. 8 - be criticized for voting to take rights away from anyone? Where do we go from here?

Interesting questions worth pondering. I'm still learning about it all and don't have any answers that I feel confident giving. But I'm eager to hear what you all think went went wrong and where we can go from here.

You have got to watch this remarkable commentary on gay marriage by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. I'm just amazed by its clarity and honesty and wish the people on television talked this way more often - from the heart.

Here's some excerpts from the text but do take the time ti watch it:

To me, this vote is horrible. Horrible. ...this isnt about yelling, this isn't about politics. This is about the human heart...if you voted for this proposition or supported those who did, I have some quesrions:

Why does this matter to you? What is it to you? ...

"All you need to do is stand and let the tiny ember of love meet its own fate..you don't have to help it, you don't have to applaud it, you dont have to fight for it. Just don't put it out, just dont extinguish it...That love is in fact the ember of your love for your fellow person."

I'm writing a column on Mitzi Gaynor's sensational series of TV specials in the late 60s through late 70s that are the subject of a new documentary. I watched the DVD of it earlier this week and was astonished by the absolute talent and charm possessed by this dazzling star - best known for her starring role in the big-screen version of "South Pacific."

I interviewed Miss Gaynor, now 77, this afternoon and I'll share it all with you later this week. But there was one thing that was so funny that I had to share it right away. When discussing her appearance, the still beautiful star said: "I always thought I looked like a dog's dinner."

Hilarious.

Wanted to alert Out In Hollywood readers to this program on KPFK tonight because it is being moderated by Karen Ocamb, news editor for IN Los Angeles and Frontiers magazines.

Here is the rundown for: "Passage of Prop 8: What Happened, the New Equality Activism and What's Next?" This one hour live show focuses on Proposition 8 - the ballot initiative that just overturned marriage equality in California.

Joining Karen for this lively discussion will be:

- Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California and a leader in the No on Prop 8 campaign

- Jenny Pizer, Senior Legal Counsel for Lambda Legal

- Sky Johnson, Senior Policy Counsel for the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and deputy campaign manager for the No on Prop 8 campaign

- Ron Buckmire, academic, activist, blogger and Board President for the Jordan/Rustin Coalition

Later in the program, Karen will open up the discussion to people who call in with questions or comments.

The Program will also be streamed live on KPFK.

The passage of Proposition 8 last week may have made same-sex marriage illegal in the state of California - for now - but it has also ignited a whole new gay rights movement..I am stunned and heartened at the level of energy and outrage in recent days at major protests across this state and elsewhere over the weekend.

Here is YouTube video from Silverlake followed by a story from CBS News:

And here is a round-up of what went down according to various news sources:

** In San Diego on Friday: :An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people marched from Hillcrest to North Park behind a giant rainbow flag in protest of Proposition 8. Chants for equality were sometimes drowned out by drivers honking their horns in support of the passing crowd. Signs waved and bobbed in the air with slogans such as "We Shall Overcome" and "Not Gay, Love You Anyway."

** In San Francisco Friday: An estimated 2,000 protesters marched down Market Street toward Dolores Park. The march stretched out for at least three city blocks, and the protesters completely blocked Market Street's westbound lanes and the eastbound lanes in places.

** In Long Beach Friday: A demonstration stretched out for five or six blocks. "Hate is not hot," read a banner at the front of the marchers. About 2,000 demonstrators marched in a peaceful protest Later, demonstrators congregated for about 20 minutes at the intersection of Broadway and Alameda Street, blocking traffic in all directions. The demonstrators then moved on before stopping at the intersection of Long Beach Boulevard and First Street, where many of them sat down in the street.

** In Palm Springs on Friday: A crowd of several hundred gathered in front of the city hall, chanting "Civil rights" and "Tax the Church." One sign read: "We will not give up."

** In Salt Lake City on Friday: Protesters marched around the headquarters of the Mormon church Friday night, criticizing the church's support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in California. "Separate church and state," the crowd chanted as it marched, some waving rainbow flags or carrying signs with messages like "Mormons: Once persecuted, now persecutors." An estimate from Salt Lake City police, who blocked downtown city streets for the march, put the number of participants at more than 2,000.

** In Silverlake on Saturday: An estimated 12,500 boisterous marchers converged for more than three hours at Sunset and Santa Monica boulevards near the site of the former Black Cat bar, which the city recently designated a historic-cultural monument for its '60s role as home of the local gay rights movement. Police guided the demonstrators through the streets without major confrontations.

** In Orange County on Sunday: About 1,000 gay-rights advocates gathered outside the large Saddleback Church in Lake Forest to protest the evangelical congregation's involvement in passing Proposition 8.

** In Sacramento on Sunday: About 2,500 people gathered on the Capitol steps Sunday afternoon after a noisy, three-hour rally against the marriage ban. About 400 assembled outside Oakland's Mormon Temple, forcing Highway Patrol officers to temporarily close two Highway 13 ramps to protect the marchers.
Here's a piece from last week's CBS This Morning that includes a nice interview with George Takei and Brad Altman:

It's pretty surprising that Isaiah Washington would want to even touch this but here it is. The actor, who was axed from "Grey's Anatomy" in 2007 after using a homophobic slur in reference to co-star T.R. Knight, is slamming the show for firing actress Brooke Smith who was involved in a lesbian storyline..

"I looked at a brilliant actress, whom I have adored since I first saw her in 'Silence of the Lambs,'" Washington says in the Nov. 17 issue of TV Guide. "For her to be treated this way, I find very interesting."

"The fact is that, just before the holidays, you have a mother, a wonderful actress removed from a steady income without the proper reasoning behind it..." he added.

Earlier posts:
-- McDreamy talks to Ellen about the demise of lesbian storyline on "Grey's Anatomy"
-- "Grey's Anatomy" shocker: Brooke Smith, lesbian storyline out...
-- Isaiah Washington not cool with his return "appearance" on "Grey's Anatomy"
-- Chatting with Isaiah Washington's publicist, Howard Bragman...
-- Larry King goes easy on Isaiah...

Kimberly Peirce, the openly gay director of "Boys Don't Cry" and "Stop-Loss" was among those honored in Hollywood last night at the Behind the Camera Awards. I had a nice chat with her on the red carpet before the ceremony and she was only too happy to talk about the passage of Prop. 8 and its aftermath.

"I'm thrilled Obama is our president, I have not been so happy in a long time. But I'm disappointed about Prop. 8 passing. I feel devastated that, you know, the chickens got some rights (with passage of Prop. 2) and the gay people lost rights. I think if you want to have equality in a society then you need to support it. We're talking about civil rights here and to take away people's civil rights makes no sense."

But Peirce has been heartened by the uprising that has happened since: "I've been very proud of the level of protest. There's been protests every night. I'm a supporter of equal rights for everybody and I think now is the time."

On other topics, she assured me that it would not be nearly a decade between film projects as was the case with this year's "Boys Don't Cry" and 1999's "Stop-Loss." And after two such heavy dramas, she'll be doing a romantic comedy next time around. But she's not giving any details just yet.

"It's a classic romantic comedy, it's a love story, it;s got a lot of fun sex with a gender twist in it," she hinted. "It's my idea based on a true story. I'll be co-writing it and then I'll be directing it."

I am a huge fan of "Stop-Loss" and am glad it has enjoyed such a strong run on DVD after just doing so-so at the box office. Kimberly is clearly beloved by the movie's cast. Ryan Phillippe showed up Sunday to present her award along with cast members Abbie Cornish and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

"It came out on DVD and I know we're over 1 million units and I have www.stoplossmovie-com/soundoff/. I gave cameras to soldiers and their families and they make videos and they post them and I have over 1,000 comments on that site, people from all over the country. On Facebook we've got I think 4,000 members and then we;ve got 13,000 on MySpace. I've used it as an entertainment and political forum. I keep getting more and more people engaged in the issue. I believe in civil rights and protecting everybody and I've been amazed thatthe movie along with the political climate and brought about a certain amount of change. I think they're gonna stop having stop-loss which is indentured servitude. Let's just hope its better times."

"100,000 soldiers have been stop-lossed. I actually think we are going to stop sending people to war who havew already fought."

Why do I find this slow roll-out excrutiating and annoying? Personal problem I guess. I present to you the next phase of Out 100 honorees:

Francesco Vezzoli, Joey Arias, Taylor Mac, Florent Morellet, Basil Twist, Our Lady J, Alan Ball, Don Bachardy, Amir Nikravan, Michael Patrick King, Jane Lynch, Bruce Vilanch, Calpernia Addams, Andrea Sperling, Lou Peterson, Tom Whitman, Mario Cantone (pictured, left), Todd Stephens, Gene Robinson, Steven Hildebrand, Mark Walsh, Anthony Goicolea, Terence Koh, Denise Simmons, Michael Brewer, Hermes Mallea, Carey Maloney.

It's great to have one of "Charlie's Angels" on your side. At Saturday night's massive rally in Silverlake, Drew Barrymore joined in. Reports new Queerty.com editor Japhy Grant: Throughout the night, groups would join the protest as it made its way through Hollywood and environs. While passing through the Sunset Strip, the rally picked up everyone's favorite angel, Drew Barrymore-and paparazzi- who marched with the approximately 3000 swing shift protesters. As the exhausted but defiant crowd occupied the intersection of San Vicente and Santa Monica, Drew took to the microphone, tearfully telling the assembled crowd, "I will fight with you!"

Drew was not the only celeb in the crowd: also spotted was James Franco of "Milk," T.R. Knight, Wanda Sykes, Ricki Lake,Darryl Stephens, Peter Paige, and Wilson Cruz, among others.

I'm sorry, but I just do not get Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on the gay marriage issue. This is a man who TWICE, with the stroke of his pen, could have made it legal for same-sex couples to marry each other in California.

But he wanted to let the courts decide.

The court decided it was OK. But last Tuesday, the people decided differemtly and now gays can't marry each other anymore in this state.

But Schwarzenegger said in a CNN interview on Sunday that the fight for gay marriage was not over: "It's unfortunate, obviously, but it's not the end because I think this will go back into the courts, this will go back to the supreme court and all this, because the supreme court very clearly in California has declared this unconstitutional. It's the same as in the 1948 case when blacks and whites were not allowed to marry. This is -- this falls into the same category. I think that we will again maybe undo that, if the court is willing to do that, and then move forward from there and again lead in that area."

The governor also urged protesters to keep fighting and compared it to his weight-lifting days: "Sometimes I try to life the weight ten times and I failed, but the eleventh time I lifted it. So I learned that you should never ever give up. And I think it's the same with this issue. They should never give up. They should be on it, and on it, until they get it done."

Here's the video:

We fell in love with her all those years ago in the indie fave "Welcome to the Dollhouse" and this openly lesbian actress has just continued on with terrific performances since. She stole every scene she was in in the "Princess Diaries" movies as Anne Hathaway's best friend and has roles in "The L Word" and "Exes and Ohs." Heather has become increasingly active in LGBT issues.

She turns 26 today...

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott were so adorable when I interviewed them the other night at the Vision Award ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. I last spoke with Tori on the phone for a piece on the indie flick "Kiss the Bride" which was last year's closing film at Outfest and was released theatrically earlier this year.

Since Tori is such a gay fave and she and Dean are so gay friendly, I certainly wanted to get their thoughts on the passage of Prop. 8 which, for now at least, once again make marriages between same-sex couples illegal in California.

"I'm devastated," said Tori. "I love the gay community, all my friends are gay, all of our friends. Two of our friends were planning on getting married this year, we wanted to throw their wedding, they want to adopt a child and be married first. And the fact that they can tell people, who are in love, who can get married and who can't, it's astonishing. There's no words that can even explain it."

Dean added: "It's incredibly disappointing and it's discrimanation. It's taking away basic fundamental rights of Americans. Both Tori and I feel the same: Who are we to dictate who can fall in love and who can marry who. It was a great day with President-elect Obama but it's also two steps back with Prop. 8 being pushed through. But you know, the battle is kind of won, but the war is not over. We have a lot of friends who are gonna fight this with all they have."

Other subjects seemed really trivial when we spoke, the day after the election. But I did want to know what these parents of two young children and stars of the reality show "Tori and Dean in Hollywood" are up to professionally.

"The Tori and Dean brand has been really good to us, it's helped bond us with people everywhere," Tori said. "We're all about love, we're all about family and apparently that's relatable and that's great. So we're looking to do a lot of different things together to give to our fans."

Tori also told me she is currently writing her second book: "Mommywood," on the heels of the best selling "sTORItelling."

"The day I found it went to number one on the New York Times best seller list, I was blown away," she said. "I never thought I'd put that together with Tori Spelling. It's been amazing."

Earlier post:
-- My chat with Tori Spelling

We often think of tennis stars as being self-absorbed and arrogant. But every once in awhile, there comes along a player of extreme ability and competitive drive who also has a social conscience. Billie Jean King, winner of six Wimbledon singles titles, might have one even more big titles if she wasn't working so hard off court for equality.

At 64, this lesbian icon is still at it and this week went to the conservative Muslim sheikdom of Qatar to promote gender equality in sport during the women's tennis tour''s year-end championships won Sunday by Venus Williams.

Billie Jean told the Associated Press that a shift toward gender parity in sport is a gradual process that requires respect for all cultures and religions: "Human rights is very important. But it is going to take generations to have a shift. Things do not happen quickly, but we have to start someplace."

Women have fewer opportunities than men in sports and other fields in Qatar, which sent an all-male team to the Beijing Olympics this year.

Venus has been one the few top players in recent years to take on some of the reponsibility and leadership in speaking out for equality in sports and has always given credit to King for leading the way. That's why I'm so happy to see the graceful and gracious Venus have her best season in several years during which she also won her fifth Wimbledon singles title as well as the Wimbledon doubles and the Olympic Gold medal in doubles with sister Serena.

It's been such an emotional week and I gotta say, this interview with Marcus Lehman who just got voted off "Survivor" really hit me in the right spot.
Who expected this guy to have words that make up some for the horrible anti-gay things being said in this Prop. 8 era.

Straight doctor Marcus and gay lawyer Charlie Herschel had an alliance from day one and it was a strong one. We assumed Charlie had a crush on Marcus because he is so attractive but the refreshing thing was Marcus' comfort level with being so close to a gay man. It was and is a non-issue. Since my very best friend is straight, I can understand this dynamic absolutely.

Here are a few of the questions asked of Marcus by AfterElton.com editor Michael Jensen:
Q. You seemed extremely comfortable with the fact that Charlie was smitten by you and even with showing physical affection. I think you won legions of gay fans when, early on, you interviewed that "I don't see any romance between Charlie and I. I think he's a great guy, you know. I can see that he's handsome and smart and all those things. I really can appreciate that about him. It's just not really the way I roll."
A Yeah, I commend Charlie at the same time. He had to make certain adjustments. As a gay man, maybe it's possible that he did find me attractive, which would be very flattering and very nice, but knowing I would not be able to return the same affection it takes courage to be able to put yourself in that situation.
I've been in situations where I've been in love with somebody and she would never even give me the time of day. In that case, I can see that to maintain a friendship there are certain boundaries you have to set up, and things that you have to respect. I hope that people can appreciate that by now, my God, you can have a friendship between a gay man and a straight guy. I thought we were beyond that, but obviously with the voting of the recent few days that's not necessarily the case. But it was great, I'm so lucky to have met Charlie.

Q: So you and Charlie are still friends?
A: Absolutely. I've got a couple best friends in the world, and he's definitely become one of them. It's one of the things you have to realize about the show. If you think about it mathematically, if you meet somebody you hang out with them a couple hours a week. Well, we hung out with each other twenty-four hours straight. You pack a two-month relationship into one day. I feel like I've had a five-year friendship with Charlie and we really only hung out for a few weeks. I think that he's such a genuinely good person I hope he's a part of my life for a long time. We're also campaigning heavily to be on the Amazing Race, if that's possible.

Go to AfterElton.com to read this terrific interview in its entirety.