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Snapped! ‘Will & Grace’ star Debra Messing shows ‘solidarity and love for the LGBTQ community’
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Dustin Lance Black receives ACLU of Southern California’s Social Advocacy in the Media Award for ‘When We Rise’
Dustin Lance Black says the award given to him Friday by the American Civil Liberties Union will be the most important prize he will ever get for creating When We Rise.
I was on hand when Black was presented with the ACLU of Southern California’s Social Advocacy in the Media Award for the TV miniseries which told the story of the LGBT rights movement from the 1968 Stonewall Riots to the present day.
Before launching into a powerful speech that resulted in a standing ovation, the jet-lagged Oscar winner confessed to the crowd at The LA Hotel in downtown Los Angeles: ‘I’m sorry, I just flew in from London and feel like I might be on mushrooms right now.’
The writer-director-activist, who won the Oscar for his screenplay for the 2008 film Milk, lives in London with new husband Tom Daley, the Olympic diver.
Black said the idea for When We Rise came as he was walking up the steps of the US Supreme Court in 2014 for the case that would result in the high court upholding the overturning of Proposition 8 and restoring same-sex marriage in California.
He began to worry back then that the LGBT community could be drunk on its own success and not be there for other oppressed groups.
The election of Donald Trump as US President and other setbacks for those seeking equality made those fears a reality.
‘The lesson is we have to rise up and lock arms and see our interconnectedness with other social justice movements and start to march forward again,’ Black said.
‘When they come after our neighbors black and brown and white we rise up! When they come after our neighbors LGB and Q what do we do? We rise up! What do we do when they come after our neighbors – natural born and undocumented? We must rise …’
Black’s award was presented by actor TR Knight who was part of the large ensemble cast of When We Rise which aired in February and March on ABC.
‘Lance has created something in When We Rise that not only honors the great minds and the hearts of the people that are directly responsible for bettering our lives today, but it also gives a younger generation a picture of these heroes,’ Knight said.
‘And that inspiration will have a ripple effect more powerful than we know.’
The ACLU stated in its program that the miniseries ‘reminds us of what America looked like and how much advocacy it took to get where we are today.
‘The relevancy of When We Rise goes beyond the issues faced by LGBTQ people, as it speaks to the struggles for justice – and gives hope – to all oppressed groups.’
In addition to Knight, others at the event supporting Black were When We Rise cast members Guy Pearce and Kevin McHale as well as producer Bruce Cohen. I was seated just a few feet away from Lance’s table and some of my photos from the luncheon are below.
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Celeb Instagram: Adam Lambert & Queen! Nyle DeMarco! Nico Tortorella! Laverne Cox! Brian Justin Crum!
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Ian McKellen thinks it’s ‘un-American’ and ‘appalling’ for Donald Trump not to protect LGBT rights
Ian McKellen is taking US President Donald Trump to task for not standing by his campaign pledge to support the rights of LGBT people.
Trump has yet to acknowledge LGBT Pride Month, has appointed several anti-LGBT cabinet members and allowed federal guidelines to protect transgender students in school to be rescinded.
‘… It’s appalling and quite unnecessary and very un-American,’ McKellen tells Variety.
‘The gay rights movement began in America. It began in San Francisco, it began in Stonewall, the city where Donald Trump was born and thrived.’
The two-time Oscar nominee admits he’s not always up to date on the actions of the controversial former host of The Celebrity Apprentice because he ‘can’t follow Mr. Trump.
‘I don’t always understand what he says and when I do, I have to admit later that I got it wrong because he changed his mind or changed his mind about what he said.
‘He’s a very bad communicator, at least to me. Get more straightforward, Donald. And then we can take you seriously.’
McKellen, 78, played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies and Magneto in the X-Men films.
He came out publicly as a gay man in 1988.
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Friday Morning Man: Jordan Henderson!
I’m a sucker for soccer players and Jordan Henderson is one of Britain’s best. I noticed him earlier this month while checking celebrity birthdays and he turned 27 on June 17. The central midfielder is captain of the Premier League club Liverpool. He also plays for the England national team. Jordan is widely regarded as a player who works hard and brings energy to the team
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#jockstrap #jockstrapmenRuPaul is getting a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
First an Emmy and now RuPaul Charles has been selected for another iconic showbiz honor.
The drag icon will be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it was announced today.
‘Sweet Cheeses! My heart is beating so fast right now!’ RuPaul tweeted after learning the news.
Another openly gay honoree will be Glee and American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy.
Also chosen to receive stars are Wonder Woman icon Lynda Carter, Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda, actresses Kirsten Dunst, Gina Lollobrigida, Niecy Nash and Taraji P Henson and musical performers Mary J Blige, Petula Clark, Weird Al Yankovic, and Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols.
Rounding out the list are Minnie Mouse and Simon Cowell with posthumous stars going to Steve Irwin and Bernie Mac.
The honorees are chosen by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s Walk of Fame Selection Committee.
‘The Committee looked carefully at each nominee and we feel that we have selected an eclectic group of talent that will appeal to the tastes of many fans around the world,’ said television producer Vin Di Bona, a member of the committee.
RuPaul has been on an amazing roll that includes winning the Emmy last fall for hosting RuPaul’s Drag Race which airs on VH1 and has been renewed for a tenth season.
Also, he and longtime partner Georges LeBar got married in January on the 23rd anniversary of their meeting.
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Afternoon Videos: See inside the memory-filled homes of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher
They have both been gone for more than six months now and oh how they are missed. Individually such movie icons and one-of-a-kind personalities. Together, just magical – delicious. Todd Fisher, the son of Debbie Reynolds and the brother of Carrie Fisher, gives ABC’s Good Morning America tours inside the homes of the two women who lived on the same property. Their belongings are being auctioned off in September and there looks to be countless precious items for fans to bid on.
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Celeb Instagram: Robin Roberts! Margaret Cho & Chelsea Clinton! Greg Louganis! Andy Cohen!
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Check out Ricky Martin in Versace miniseries
One of the more highly anticipated television upcoming events is The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
Among the cast members is a man better known for his singing: Ricky Martin.
The Grammy winner plays Gianni Versace’s longtime partner Antonio D’Amico in the third installment of the FX anthology series.
Entertainment Weekly has just released several cast photos including one of Martin standing poolside wearing a speedo.
A white rope covers part of the singer’s chiseled body.
Famed clothing designer Versace (portrayed by Edgar Ramirez) was one of the victims of serial killer Andrew Cunanan who is played by Glee alum Darren Criss.
Versace was assassinated on the front steps of his mansion in Miami Beach in 1997 by Cunanan.
The designer was Cunanan’s fifth and final victim in a nationwide killing spree. Cunanan killed himself eight days after Versace’s murder as police closed in on him.
While known primarily as a singer, Martin has occasionally taken on acting roles.
He was once a regular on the ABC soap General Hospital and more recently starred on Broadway in Evita.
Martin recently began a residency at the Park Theatre in Las Vegas.
The first season of American Crime Story was about the OJ Simpson murder trial and the upcoming second season which will be about aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
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Wishing a happy 68th birthday to Meryl Streep!
Meryl Streep , the acting goddess, celebrates her 68th birthday today.
For 40 years now she has been delivering astonishingly great performances in films and won Oscars for Sophie’s Choice, The Iron Lady and Kramer vs. Kramer (see videos below).
With a total of 20 Academy Award nods, she’s received more nominations than any other actor or actress in film history.
In my opinion, she should also have won for Julie & Julia (she lost to Sandra Bullock!), Doubt (sorry Kate Winsletin The Reader) and for Adaptation (Catherine Zeta-Jones won for Chicago).
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Thursday Morning Man: Akin Akman!
Full credit to Kenneth in the 212 for featuring this guy earlier in the week which is how he got on my radar. He’s Akin Akman, a well-known SoulCycle trainer and Tommy Hilfiger model in New York City. Now 29, Akin’s original plans were to be a tennis pro but injury forced him to change course. Follow Akin on Instagram. 
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CNN’s Don Lemon chats with Chelsea Handler about Trump, Anderson Cooper, Kathy Griffin and more
Just saw this – an interview from last week. CNN anchor Don Lemon sits down with Chelsea Handler to talk about what the hell is going on in the world, Trump-derangement syndrome, Anderson Cooper’s infamous eye-roll, who he won’t interview on his show, and more.
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Colton Haynes joins cast of ‘American Horror Story’
Colton Haynes is returning to series television.
The openly gay actor is part of the cast of season seven of the FX anthology series American Horror Story.
Series creator Ryan Murphy broke the news on Instagram with a dramatic photo of Haynes with dramatically smeared lipstick on his mouth and face.
Haynes joins fellow out performers Sarah Paulson and Billy Eichner on the show. Others in the cast include Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman and Evan Peters.
Little is known about the upcoming season except that it takes place in the aftermath of the 2016 US presidential election. The first episode will take place on election night.
Haynes, who came out publicly last year, had previously been a cast member on the hit TV series Arrow and Teen Wolf.
He quit Arrow to deal with personal issues related to life as a closeted actor.
The 28 year old had previously worked with Murphy on two episodes of the Fox series Scream Queens which recently ended its two season run.
Haynes has a role in the current feature film comedy Rough Night which hit theaters last week.
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Celeb Instagram: Jussie Smollett at 35! Russell Tovey! John Barrowman! Ricky Martin! Max Emerson! Trevor Donovan!
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Happy 70th birthday to Meredith Baxter!
Meredith Baxter, the talented star of Family Ties, Family, Bridget Loves Bernie and the Betty Broderick bioflicks, turns 70 today. I especially loved her as Nancy on Family and thought it would be so cool to live in a guest house on my parents’ property like she did. But my most very favorite role she’s ever done is in the movie The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green. She is hilarious as the the completely non-empathetic mother of a gay guy having romantic struggles. Check it out if you can. Meredith came out publicly as a lesbian in December 2009 and has been married to Nancy Locke since 2013. Happy birthday Meredith!
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Wednesday Morning Man: Daniel Day-Lewis!
I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Daniel Day-Lewis plans to retire from acting. He’s only 60 and will have plenty of time for a comeback. But let’s say he never makes another movie. What an amazing career he’s had which includes Oscar winning performances in Lincoln, There Will Be Blood and My Left Foot. He was also nominated for The Gangs of New York and In the Name of the Father. His other films include The Age of Innocence, The Boxer, The Last of the Mohicans, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, A Room With a View and my personal favorite My Beautiful Launderette. I covered the all the awards shows the year he won the Oscar and everything else for There Will Be Blood. He was such a class act throughout. Cheers to the greatest actor of his generation. 
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So excited @mrrpmurphy
