Queer Day

Heath Ledger to play Rock Hudson?

ledger Heath Ledger is in negotiations to take on another big gay movie role that isn't entirely clear cut. The Brokeback Mountain star who earned himself a Best Actor Oscar nomination is currently the frontrunner to play Hollywood icon and rather legendary closet case Rock Hudson who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1985. According to Aint it Cool News, a major movie spoiler site, an inside source said, "After playing a straight man who has a gay relationship, Heath Ledger will do a 180 and play a gay man who has a straight relationship." His next role is playing a heroin addict in Neil Armfield's "Candy." The film is based on a Luke Davies novel.

Feast of Fools does gay Podcasting proud

Feast of Fools has truly become a driving force in the world of Podcasting. Co-hosts Fausto Fernós and Marc Felion spend their weekdays crossing global lines and barriers while striving to reach listeners from all walks of life via the internet. As thousands of new podcasts have become available for download the boys remain on top. Feast of Fools is Chicago's #! Podcast, regularly ranked in the top 15 comedy podcasts on iTunes, and is the only gay-themed production to make iTunes “Top 100 Podcast" list - and with good reason. Whether it's an intimate rummage through Illinois State Representative's Sara Feingenholz’s office refrigerator, a walk through the deep parts of the Puerto Rican rainforest or a frank discussion of Chicago's sexual underground at the world's largest Leather Conference, Queer Day thinks you should be giving these Fools a listen.

Filed in: Drag | Entertainment | Gay | LINK | Comments (5)

World of Warcraft's gay drama brings apology

World of Warcraft's online game community, which draws more than five million players worldwide, has found itself in the middle of a big gay controversy. A player, Sara Andrews of Nashville, Tennesee, was threatened with expulsion from the virtual Warcraft world after she sought to recruit others into her gay-friendly team. An uproar ensued, spurring the game's maker to review its treatment of gay players. Blizzard Entertainment, the game's maker, apologized to Andrew, saying the warning was a mistake and that it will make some changes to prevent a repeat. Of course Andrews' attorney from Lambda Legal may have had something to do with that too.

Filed in: Entertainment | Gay | Lesbian | LINK | Comments (13)

Ian McKellen calls Hollywood on its homophobia

Speaking at the Berlin Film Festival where he received a lifetime achievement award, out gay British actor Sir Ian McKellen lashed out at Hollywood saying that openly gay US actors are prevented from having successful careers. "It is very, very, very difficult for an American actor who wants a film career to be open about his sexuality, and even more difficult for a woman if she's lesbian. It's very distressing to me that that should be the case. The film industry is very old fashioned in California," McKellen said. As for the lifetime achievement award, McKellen says he's enjoying a late burst of global fame and that he still has a lot of life left. He told the audience, "I still hope I've got a lot of life left on stage and making films." Queer Day hopes he'll keep telling it like it is as well.

First Indian drag queen film The Pink Mirror (Gulabi Aaina) now on DVD

Quite awhile ago I told you about India's first film about drag queens - The Pink Mirror (Gulabi Aaina). Sridhar Rangayan�s debut film even won the best feature award at the Fire Island film festival. Well, the Bollywood comedy is finally available for purchase on DVD. While I don't ordinarily plug such sales, I've had particular interest in this film and supporting it supports queer cinema in India while providing funds for more future endeavors. Watch the trailer here.

Chi Chi Larue leaves Vivid over policy change to condom optional

Our favorite drag queen porn director Chi Chi LaRue has stopped directing straight productions for Vivid because they've changed their condom-only policy. "As a person who has been very vocal about condom usage in every aspect of the gay business as well as the straight, and as a person who went to work for Vivid because of their mandatory condom policy, I had to stop directing for them once it became condom-optional." Larue said, adding, "It's my policy to use condoms and it would be very hypocritical of me after how vocal I've been in this industry in the gay and straight sides to continue to do movies and not use condoms. Vivid's Howard Levine said, "My hat is off to Chi Chi for his commitment to his beliefs and I wish him the best, but I do wish he would return the dress he borrowed from me for the AVN Awards." (Thanks Dan-x)

Pete Burns to marry Michael Simpson

pete burns and michael simpson Fresh from his big stint in the Big Brother Celebrity UK house, Dead or Alive singer Pete Burns has announced that he's tying the knot with his partner Michael Simpson. For those who watched Big Brother, Burns always had a photo of Simpson attached to his person throughout the series. The couple showed off their identical diamante skull rings - designed by Vivienne Westwood - live on Richard and Judy's show (pictured). Regarding the rings Burns explained, "It symbolises that underneath all this there is bone and underneath that is soul." On the show Burns also told the world, "I lost him a lifetime ago and I've been looking for him ever since. He's a physical part of me." It's enough to make a person misty.

Willie Nelson sings for gay cowboys

nelson Willie Nelson has released a new song about the kind of love that happens between two men on the wide open range. The Texas country music icon says of "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other" that "the song's been in the closet for 20 years. The timing's right for it to come out. I'm just opening the door." Nelson recorded a song for the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack, a melancholy ballad entitled "He Was a Friend of Mine."

Two years ago, David Anderson, Nelson's friend and tour manager of three decades, told his boss that he's gay. Last year when Nelson recorded a batch of previously unreleased songs for iTunes, he discovered the song in a stack of demos he had tossed into a drawer. It was written in 1981 by Lubbock-born singer-songwriter Ned Sublette and Anderson says it's Willie's way of letting him know everything is ok. Lyrics such as "I believe to my soul that inside every man there's the feminine" and "What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?" are delivered deadpan, giving the song an air of seriousness. If you have iTunes, download the song here for only 99 cents. I have to say it's truly a classic. Nelson's song, according to the Dallas News (Thanks Dan-x), is the first gay-themed release by a major country music artist, but haven't there been others by women?

Milla Jovovich's lesbian secret love interest

I know you're excited to find out Milla Jovovich has spent time thinking about who her secret lesbian dream love is, and luckily for all of us it turns out that it's someone who ranks pretty high in the girl-most-likely-to department. That's right, the bisexual Courtney Love. I'm not sure, but I think Love has stalked people for less so stay tuned! Jovovich is currently in Berlin where she and Richard Gere hosted the Cinema for Peace Gala black tie bash - held in conjunction with the Berlin International Film Festival - a major fundraiser there in the fight against AIDS. And for those who are Resident Evil fans, Milla just signed on to kick even more ass in the third film in the series retitled "Resident Evil: Extinction".

Andrew Morton's Tom Cruise biography heats up over the gay question

cruise Andrew Morton is writing a biography on Tom Cruise and everything was going rather well until Cruise found out that Morton gay porn actor Paul Baressi to shine some light on his private life. Apparently Baressi is mostly a private investigator and Morton wanted him to do some digging on all the gay rumors. It's being reported that Baressi has "already given Morton letters from Cruise's attorney insinuating the star enjoyed a homosexual liaison while shooting Eyes Wide Shut in the UK." All of this prompted Cruise's lawsuit happy lawyer, Bert Fields, to write Morton saying, "he obviously was entitled to write the book but make sure you check your facts. If he tries to use my letter to create the impression that Mr. Cruise did have a gay affair, we will certainly sue... because the story is false. Mr. Cruise is not gay." Right. And Katie Holmes isn't his beard, alright?

Margaret Spellings loves Brokeback, and other movie related news

· Margaret Spellings may have caused quite a ruckus over a couple of lesbians and an animated bunny, but one of the favorite films of President Bush's Education Secretary is none other than Brokeback Mountain. She actually says, "I enjoy all sorts of things, and I consider myself to be quite open-minded." She then went on to contend that "there is a difference between the personal money she uses to buy a movie ticket and the taxpayer dollars spent on children's programming."
· "Brokeback Mountain" director Ang Lee, who also directed "The Hulk," said recently, "The head of Marvel Comics sent me a note congratulating me on my recent success, with a P.S.: 'If we make the Hulk gay, would you come back and make a second for us?'"
· Brokeback star Anne Hathaway revealed to a mostly gay audience, "My older brother, Mike, is getting married to his partner of five years, Josh, this fall. I'm gonna be a bridesmaid!"
· Two men's shirts from the film that were worn by Jake Gyllenhaal are being auctioned on eBay for charity. You can access the auction here, but be aware. Bidding is already at $20,450.
· The New York Book Review argues against the way Brokeback was marketed as a "universal romance." (Thanks Todd)
· Nevertheless, the Brokeback Mountain book is a big hit in Hong Kong.

Celebrity Gossip

· Pete Doherty, Kate Moss' ex-boyfriend and bisexual Babyshambles' lead singer escaped a jail term yesterday when he was sentenced to 12 months of community service for seven separate drug-related charges.
· Nathan Lane held his 50th-birthday bash at the Rainbow Room and everybody sang for their supper. Matthew Broderick dedicated "Sonny Boy" to his "Odd Couple" spouse. Mario Cantone, channeling Judy Garland, called Lane a naughty Munchkin and told him to "Get Happy." Sounds like a big gay night in showtunes hell.
· When it comes to the Winter Olympics that kick off on Friday, if you're more interested in who you'd like to take home than who will take home the gold, here's a handy guide to the crucial players.

Studio nixed James Dean & Sal Mineo gay kiss plan in Rebel Without a Cause

The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly look back at Rebel Without a Cause and reveals that there was a plan for the film to include a kiss between James Dean and Sal Mineo. Warner Brothers, however, wasn't up for it. “While vetting the Rebel script, Warner honcho Steve Trilling made it clear - in writing - that a kiss between Dean and Mineo would not be tolerated." It didn't stop Director Nicholas Ray from painting the portrait though. He asked asked a teenage Mineo what he wanted most in life. “‘My driver’s license," Mineo said. "Fine," Ray said. "Look at Jimmy as if he’s your driver’s license." Beyond the obvious adoration, the film is chock full of clues regarding Plato’s sexual preference too, like the 8x10 glossy of Alan Ladd hanging in his high school locker.

Transcendence documents the Transcendence Gospel Choir, the award-winning first all trans chorus

Todd Holland met Ashley Moore a year before her transition and while Moore was preparing for her gender reassignment surgery, she was also starting The Transcendence Gospel Choir, the first entirely transgender Gospel choir. Holland asked if he could film the whole process of creating the choir and now, four years later, the result is a new documentary called Transcendence (view trailer here.) The choir won an Outmusic Award in 2004 for its album "Whosoever Believes" and Moore says the response to the choir has been overwhelmingly positive.
Short Takes:
· Bryan McKay on Judith Butler and Gender Performativity.
·: A series of transgender presentations educate those at the University of North Texas.

Catherine Zeta-Jones to take transsexual lead role in April Ashley story

It seems I was just talking about April Ashley, and now it looks like Britain's first transsexual will be getting her wish. Mark Sennet, an American film producer, has optioned the film rights to Ashley's story and it looks like Catherine Zeta Jones is going to take on the title role. Ashley says it would be completely fitting. "I said in an interview several years ago that I would like her to play me in any film about my life. I like to think that she epitomizes everything I stood for when I was young - which was sheer old-fashioned Hollywood glamour. And she's very much like me physically, when I was that age. If you look at any of my old photographs, you will see the resemblance.'' And with no disrespect, I too can't help but recall Zeta Jones' husband Michael Douglas joking that he thought Catherine was a man in drag when they first met because they didn't kiss until they'd been dating for nine months. And with Felicity Huffman's Transamerican Oscar nod, leave it to Zeta Jones to be taking on a real story.

Brokeback inspired Brad Pitt wants to play gay

Brad Pitt is on the hunt for his own “Brokeback Mountain." In fact he's told his people to find the right gay love story script for him. A source told The Sun, "Brad has asked his people to find him a script to play a gay man. He wants it to be a story that appeals to both men and women and he wants it to be the edgiest work he's done. He's seen the critical acclaim that Brokeback Mountain has won and he wants a piece of it. Brad knows it would be seen as shocking to take on a gay role because he’s seen as such a heartthrob.” Maybe he's fishing for an Oscar, and with eight nominations for the top-grossing Brokeback, he may be on the right track.

Other takes:
· Larry Gross: "How far we think we've come with movies like 'Brokeback Mountain' may well signify how far we have to go" in Hollywood's Year of the Queer.
· David Ehrenstein shares his views on Why "Brokeback' isn't so 'radical'.

Lesbian scene bans Vagina Monologues at Providence College

It's hard to imagine much of a fuss over The Vagina Monologues at this point, particularly in Rhode Island at Providence College where the play has been staged four years in a row. But add a new school president by the name of Rev. Brian Shanley to the Dominican run campus and anything can happen. In fact the play has been banned with Shanley's primary objection being the tale of a sexual encounter between a woman and a teenage girl. While the teen narrator describes the episode as “a kind of heaven,” Shanley said it’s “abusive, exploitative and morally wrong” and that the church teaches that being gay or lesbian is “intrinsically disordered.”

Bravo milks Project Runway for an extra week

The second season of Project Runway has turned out to be such a cash cow for Bravo that they've decided to milk it for an extra week. The show, hosted by Heidi Klum, now will include a special reunion episode on Wednesday, February 22 at 10pm - and the season finale is being extended to two hours airing over two weeks. They're elated, I'm annoyed. Watch as Bravo President Lauren Zalaznick tries to pass the move off as community service:

Continue reading "Bravo milks Project Runway for an extra week" »

Queer Eye's Teeson outed as Mr. Six Flags

I'm not sure which is more disturbing, Mr. Six Flags whom I have to admit routinely makes my skin crawl as the dancing senior citizen in the Six Flags amusement park television commercials who lures all the children away and onto a bus, or the news that his long secret identity has turned out to be none other than Queer Eye For The Straight Girl's hunkariffic Danny Teeson. Paul Davidson first outed the rubber legged man on his website, prompting Mark Evanier to do some digging and the New York Post confirming the info with "knowledgeable industry sources."

PlanetOut Inc. and NBC head into the Outzone

PlanetOut Inc., the rather scary gay media superpower that has been buying up everything, now has it's sights set on gobbling up another market. Partnering up with the NBC owned Bravo cable network, they will soon be launching OutzoneTV.com, a broadband site targeting our community. Sure, of course we can expect to see reruns of "Boy Meets Boy" and the Queer Eyes online - but with PlanetOut Inc. behind it, the ongoing media conglomeration takeover isn't a matter to be taken lightly.

Jenny McCarthy expands her bisexuality off screen

While porn star Jenny McCarthy has had her fair share of woman-on-woman action on screen, she hasn't let that be a part of her personal life at all, or so we thought. When porn queen Jenna Jameson dropped by the Sirius studios to tantalize Howard Stern's horny listeners, on the air Jameson revealed that her and fellow blond bombshell McCarthy have had their quiet time together off screen as well. Page Six reports that McCarthy, who recently divorced husband John Asher, was with Jameson at a party at the Hard Rock. Jameson told listeneers, "and afterward the two of us went into a secluded booth . . . Jenny kicked back . . . and I'm just, like, 'Oh, here we go. It's on . . .' and she was great!" Now the real question is, does Jameson deserve a toaster oven?

Lee Tamahori arrested in transgender prostitution sting

Lee Tamahori, the major film director who brought the James Bond hit "Die Another Day" and "XXX: State of the Union" to the big screen, was arrested on a sex charge - while wearing a black off the shoulder dress and a wig. The Los Angeles Police Department has reported that Tamahori, 55, was arrested during a police sting operation and he was charged with prostitution and loitering, apparently after he offered to perform oral sex on an undercover cop for cash. He faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.

Footballers Wives goes gay with Noah Alexander storyline

On February 25, BBC America will premiere the third season of Footballers Wives and there's all sorts of drama to look forward to, including a gay storyline. Towards the end of the season, Noah Alexander, the first gay player on the Sparks team, is publicly outed when Tanya hires a male escort and captures him with the rental unit on a surveillance camera. Season Four, which premieres in April as BBC America does a rush job of bringing us up to date, Noah comes out, is beaten by a gang of thugs, prevented from working with children, and ultimately winds up at "The Church of the Found" looking for a cure for his sexuality. Where will it go after that? I don't know. I'm just giving you the heads up so that we can all be on board with all the twists and turns that are sure to come. Marcel McCalla, pictured, plays Alexander.

Welcome to the Neighborhood's gay Wrights battle

Remember the whole Welcome To The Neighborhood reality television show debacle? Yeah, I went off about it in a pretty significant way at the time, only to learn all these months later that Stephen and John Wright and their adopted son Eli were the winners on the cancelled series. If I'd have known that I'd have, well, nevermind. Any show where a straight, white, religious family gets to decide the fate of heavily stereotyped minorities is just a little too real world if you ask me. It does, however, turn out that ABC may have had a motive in their cancellation - allowing the Walt Disney Company to pre-empt a show that could have interfered with a much bigger enterprise: the courting of evangelical Christian audiences for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Was the show cancelled because the gays actually won? (Thanks Tyler)

Bad Girls Season Two kicks off January 24

While the BBC show Bad Girls will soon begin it's eighth season over in the UK, we're finally set to begin Season Two of one of my absolute favorite guilty pleasures, courtesy of BBC America. Yes, I'm completely hooked on the happenings in Larkhall Prison's G-wing. With the second season premiere coming on January 24, we're once again nearing the end of the first season that has lipstick-lesbian-lifer Nikki Wade, pictured right, played by Mandana Jones, continuously upping the ante of sexual tension between her and Helen Stewart, pictured left, Larkhall's idealistic young warden (played by Simone Lahbib). Here's the first season episode guide for those of you just tuning in and still time to catch the scandalous season finale.

Filed in: Entertainment | Lesbian | Television | LINK | Comments (4)

The Gayest Golden Globe Awards

"Call these the gay Globes," said TV Guide's Tom O'Neil before the show started and it turned out to be just that and then some. "Brokeback Mountain" won the Best Dramatic Film award last night at the 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards. It was one of a handful of awards for the film that also captured Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Song. Felicity Huffman captured the Best Actress in a Motion Picture honors for her transgender role in "Transamerica" while Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Best Actor in a Drama award for his portrayal of gay writer Truman Capote. "Desperate Housewives" also won the ward for Best TV Series.

Liz Smith helped keep Rock Hudson's sexuality under wraps

Lesbian gossip monger Liz Smith has revealed that Rock Hudson came to her about what he should do to avoid the destruction of his career when he was being blackmailed over his sexuality. It appears that the blackmailer was the former Mrs. Rock Hudson, Phyllis Gates, and lady Liz herself had "plenty in my files about the former Mrs. Hudson ... proving that Phyllis herself was not as 'clean as the driven slush.'" As a result Phyllis Gates did not extract money from her ex and Hudson was never exposed for being gay, until he died of AIDS that is. Does Liz think things have really changed? Not really. "Male homosexuality is still the great taboo, the career destroyer. ... It is still The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name. The fear that kept Rock Hudson in the closet is still palpable in Hollywood."

Dupont Twins play gay cowboys in Factory Girl

The Dupont Twins, shown here with Cornelia Guest, were best of friends with Andy Warhol, although Richard and Robert never starred in any of his movies. Well director George Hickenlooper is currently filming "Factory Girl" and he asked the boys to be in the movie. They play gay cowboys in a scene at Studio 54 with Guy Pearce who plays Warhol and Sienna Miller as Edie Sedgwick. Pearce is so good, Richard said, "We both got tears in our eyes."

Janice Dickinson hits the gay clubs

Janice Dickinson, the first supermodel who was booted as a judge from America's Next Top Model not long ago and recently gained noteriety fighting with Omarosa on VH1's "The Surreal Life" with the other has beens, threw a fit at the mostly straight restaurant Bella in Los Angeles when she wasn't given a front table. She left fuming and went where she would be treated better, Fubar for "Big Fat Dick Night" where a source told Page Six, "She was treated like royalty and danced her butt off." Later, Dickinson showed up at another gay bar as well, Heaven, where she partied all night.

Laura Prepon to play bisexual serial killer Karla Homolka

That '70s Show star Laura Prepon, pictured, has the lead role in the controversial new film about the life of bisexual serial killer Karla Homolka. "Karla" was actually to have made its debut last August at the Montreal World Film Festival, but was yanked at the last minute following complaints. Christal Films has announced it will release "Karla" on 100 screens across Canada on January 20. Misha Collins costars as her husband, Paul Bernardo. Homolka and Bernardo were convicted of torturing and murdering two Canadian schoolgirls in the early 1990s. Homolka also drugged her own 15-year-old sister, Tammy, and allowed Bernardo to rape the girl, who choked on her own vomit and died. Homolka is currently living in seclusion.

Fred Savage plays gay character Mitch on Crumbs

Fred Savage (The Wonder Years) returned to television last night playing gay son Mitch on the new series Crumbs. The series will explore the family's varied reaction to his sexual orientation, but Savage says, "That's not what the show is about … the show is really about family and secrets that families keep from each other, and how a family pulls itself back together after keeping so much from each other for so long." Jane Curtin plays the mother who has just been discharged from a psychiatric facility, William Devane the father who is expecting a baby with his new girlfriend. The ABC sitcom airs Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. EST on ABC. (Thanks Tyler)

Scott Thompson's Buddy Cole is getting animated

One of my favorite Kids In The Hall sketches was the one where Buddy Cole, who bought the gay bar he was always hanging out in, found himself coaching his very own lesbian softball team - the Sappho Sluggers. Well the Here! gay television network is going to be bringing even more Buddy Cole to us - in an animated form. The new cartoon series for adults centering around Scott Thompson's character will apparently be running against a bullying "family values" city councilman. Can you imagine? Cole will also suddenly become a parent when his orphaned niece will show up on his doorstep.

Filed in: Entertainment | Gay | Television | LINK | Comments (3)

John Waters hosting Til Death Do Us Part

John Waters will be Alfred Hitchcock-like hosting Court TV's first scripted series called "'Til Death Do Us Part." Waters notes, "It's a thin line these days, as you all know, between bad and good taste," and he's primarily out to entertain, presenting stories often too bizarre to concoct. The series takes real-life murder cases where one spouse kills the other and dramatizes the relationship, from the wedding to the murder to the investigation through to the trial. Waters time travels through the narrative as a character called the Groom Reaper. "When they first asked me, I thought they said the Groom Raper. Either way, I would have said yes."

Angelina Jolie: Yes, I am pregnant

Bisexual ingenue Angelina Jolie is having a baby. "Yes, I am pregnant," she told an inquiring relief worker when she arrived at a Dominican Republic airport. "We're due in the summer." Yes, the "we" here is not Jenny Shimizu, but actually none other than Brad Pitt - whose spokeswoman confirmed the news. All the speculation and wonder about them is finally out in the open with this news coming after he filed the paperwork to become the adoptive father of Jolie's adopted children, Maddox, 4, and Zahara, 1, and after Jolie filed paperwork to change the kids' last names to Jolie-Pitt.

Gene Shalit apologizes for his Brokeback Mountain review

Remember Today show movie critic Gene Shalit's Brokeback Mountain Review? After an outpouring of emails and phone calls he's issued an apology. "In describing the behavior of 'Jack' I used words ('sexual predator') that I now discover have angered, agitated, and hurt many people. I did not intend to use a word that many in the gay community consider incendiary. . . I certainly had no intention of casting aspersions on anyone in the gay community or on the community itself. I regret any emotional hurt that may have resulted from my review of 'Brokeback Mountain.'"

Gay friendly Book of Daniel hit hard by zealots

"The Book of Daniel" on NBC is a series about a priest starring Aidan Quinn and the show was singled out before its debut by wingnuts who condemned it as anti-Christian. The show has failed to attract advertising dollars as a result. One company that did advertise won't be back thanks to irate phone caller harassment. Bosses at an Indiana TV station posted security outside their studios on Friday night after receiving death threats. 5 of NBC's 232 affiliates chose to pre-empt the series last Friday; while in Little Rock, Arkansas, the local WB affiliate ran it instead. What's the big deal? Quinn plays Daniel Webster, an Episcopal suburban New York priest and his dysfunctional family, a daughter who sells marijuana, a son who is gay and another son who is a teenage lothario. Webster goes to Jesus for advice, a regular character. While it was cute on Joan of Arcadia, apparently Joan didn't have any gay kids.

Rosie returning to television, behind the camera

Rosie O'Donnell is returning to television, but this time she'll be behind the camera on a sketch comedy show for Logo. The show, which is apparently going to be a lot like Saturday Night Live, will feature up-and-coming comedians, political and pop culture satire, and even some musical numbers. After all, what's gay television without musical numbers. Anyway, she's also planning on bringing on celebrity guests who are "friends of the LGBT community." Serving as the show's executive producer, Rosie is pairing with writers from The Rosie O'Donnell Show.

Heath Ledger lashes out at Utah and West Virginia

Australian actor Heath Ledger has lashed out at the “immature” and “hilarious” idea of Brokeback Mountain boycotts in America over its gay content. He says, “Personally, I don’t think the movie is [controversial] but I think maybe the Mormons in Utah do. I think it’s hilarious and very immature of a society." Ledger also took a swipe at West Virginia. “I heard a while ago that West Virginia was going to ban it but that’s a state that was lynching people only 25 years ago so that’s to be expected.”

Larry Miller's Brokeback censorship brings call to action

Brokeback Mountain was pulled from the Jordan Commons Megaplex in Utah even though the film is breaking records over at Salt Lake's Broadway Theater. Why? Owner Larry Miller, who owns the Utah Jazz by the way, told KCPW prior to the film opening, "I think it's something that I have to let the market speak to some degree and not consider myself, cause I don't think I'm qualified to be the community censor." Shortly after that though, he became just that citing only a "Change in Booking."

Continue reading "Larry Miller's Brokeback censorship brings call to action" »

Sony launches queer music label

World: And yes, we are a market audience, a bigger one all the time. Sony Music has launched the first major music label dedicated to nurturing LGBT artists. The label, Music with a Twist, is a joint venture with Wilderness Media & Entertainment, led by Logo founder Matt Farber.

Pyfrom and Carnes gay plotline rocks Desperate Housewives

Well it happened. Ten years ago Melrose Place made a great big build up about a gay kiss then pulled it before it actually aired. Previously on Desperate Housewives Susan Mayer was the one who caught Justin, played by General Hospital's Ryan Carnes and Bree's son Andrew, played by Shawn Pyfrom, apparently naked together in the backyard swimming pool, possibly kissing in the shadows. It was all rather veiled and Susan looked at the pair as startled as they were before Andrew blurted out an unsolicited, "I'm Not Gay!". Now here we are, nearly a year later, and something happened so beautifully and casually that you'd have hardly noticed two young men were actually kissing on American nationwide television if you had not been paying close attention. Here's how it went down and the aftermath:

Continue reading "Pyfrom and Carnes gay plotline rocks Desperate Housewives" »

Filed in: Entertainment | Gay | Television | LINK | Comments (6)

The L Word season 3 kicks off

The new season of The L Word kicked off and I have to say it was unsettling to find so many of the storylines we were dragged through by the end of season 2 fast forwarded six months later. Alice and Dana are truly over even though Alice is still obsessed, quite possibly in a fatal attraction kind of way. Oddly enough her insanity offered some of the only levity, earmarking more heavy drama for the future? Jenny took us into the depths of us it last season - and knowing many lesbians with similar issues including self mutiliation made for pretty realistic viewing, in a claustrophic sort of way.

Continue reading "The L Word season 3 kicks off" »

Filed in: Entertainment | Lesbian | Television | LINK | Comments (0)

Is Kimberly Peirce's New York stay cursed?

Boys Don't Cry writer and director Kimberly Peirce is having a hell of a time while staying in New York City. The noteworthy lesbian who brought the Brandon Teena story to the big screen has been driven practically to tears. Page Six reports that while she was renting TV composer Steven Gold's luxury loft over the holidays, a large glass lighting fixture fell from the ceiling. She wasn't hurt, but she was rattled enough to move to the SoHo Grand Hotel where she supposedly had to change rooms after a steam heater inexplicably "exploded" and shot scalding water all over her suite. Did she recently unearth some cursed Egyptian artifacts or take a lover camping on an ancient indian burial ground? Peirce has several new films in the works including Silent Star, Stop-Loss and The Ice at the Bottom of the World.

Kevin Spacey is gay according to official govt report

Whilen Kevin Spacey's real sexuality has never been much of a secret in the gay community, the media has had a long fixation about it and the gossip mill is buzzing again now that his name has been included on a list of famous gay men being used to educate students in British schools. Spacey denies being gay, and we here at Queer Day giggle for a moment and move on. Anyway, he was named alongside Oscar Wilde and Tennessee Williams on materials offered to schools in the U.K. by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Group. The organizers said, "It should not have happened, and we apologize."

Continue reading "Kevin Spacey is gay according to official govt report" »

Gene Shalit calls Brokeback Mountain's Jake a sexual predator

Gene Shalit's recent review of Brokeback Mountaon on the "Today" show found Shalit referring to Jake's character as a "sexual predator who tracks Heath Ledger down and coaxes him into periodic trysts." Lesbian gossip monger Liz Smith responds, "Really? I don't think sending a postcard saying, 'Want to get together?'- after several years apart - translates into predatory coaxing. And Heath jumps at the offer." We're inclined to agree. The whole thing is a little odd in that Gene Shalit's son Pete is gay and Shalit's out about his support of his son - "Peter is humane and intelligent, and I am crazy about him." Nevertheless, as Kevin Naff notes, "Shalit’s smackdown was so thorough and so focused on the gay sex depicted in the film that his review says more about him than it does about the movie

Whole New Thing coming to U.S. theaters

Whole New Thing, the Canadian film about 13 year old Emerson Thorsen from the wilds of Nova Scotia. He's just had his first wet dream, and completed writing and illustrating his first book. His English teacher Don Grant makes regular visits to a park washroom for anonymous sex and Emerson quickly develops his first crush on him. The precociously confident boy, raised in a household of casual nudity and sexual openness, throws himself into this awakening of his heart with dangerous abandon. And Indie distributor Picture This Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to the "comedic drama" for limited release in U.S. theaters in the fall.

Filed in: Entertainment | Gay | Movies | LINK | Comments (0)

Pink's Costa Rican wedding nixes lesbian rumors

We've watched Pink (aka Alecia Moore) give a lap dance to her lesbian assistant Laura Wilson and lock lips with "Terminator 3" star Kristanna Loken at Jimmy'z nightclub in Monaco. We've seen her for quite some time hanging out with the grrrlz - to which she explained, "I like strong, assertive, independent, tough women and they happen to be gay." Well you can put the kabosh on all of that now because she married motocross champ Carey Hart this weekend on a Costa Rican beach where she walked down the aisle barefoot to Billy Joel's "Always a Woman." They plan to spend their honeymoon snowboarding.

Pete Burns enters UK's Celebrity Big Brother house

It's a good thing they identify this beauty as Pete Burns, because I wouldn't have recognized the Dead or Alive singer otherwise. Burns gave the middle finger to the jeering crowd before entering the Celebrity Big Brother House, wearing a cream fake fur-rimmed coat and some serious stilettoes. “I feel like I’ve been fired out of a cannon,” Burns told TV personality Michael Barrymore. "I have got no problem with other people. It's usually them that's got a problem with me." Here's all the contestants.

Top Ten GLBT Movies of 2005

Film critic Richard Knight tallies up the top ten GLBT movies of 2005. What did he rank number one? Capote. "If Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance as the diminutive southern writer immersed in the research and writing of In Cold Blood isn’t revelation enough, add a great script by first-timer Dan Futterman (one of Will Truman’s ex-boyfriends on Will & Grace)..." Knight ranks Brokeback Mountain second calling the film "nothing short of a landmark." Queer Day was surprised to see the european film award nominated My Summer of Love ranked as low as seven.

Caerdydd bringing gay sex to Welsh television

Caerdydd, a new Welsh-language television drama that apparently features gay sex scenes that rival Queer As Folk. The show, which starts on S4C next week, follows the adventures of a group of young people living in the Welsh capital. It's also landmarked for controversy, in part because of the large amount of English spoken by its main characters. The promiscuous exploits of the lead characters include cocaine-snorting gay record shop boss Emyr, played by Lee Haven Jones, uppity noodle bar-owner Ceri (Siwan Morris), and lecturer-seducing journalism student Elen (Rhian Green).

Filed in: Entertainment | Gay | Television | LINK | Comments (0)

February 17, 2006