CELEBRITY FRIDAY: Jim Parson Of #TBBT Marries Longtime Boyfriend

Multiple Emmy award-winning actor Jim Parsons, one of the stars of the CBS hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory, married his longtime boyfriend this past week at the Rainbow Room in New York City. Parsons, 44,  came out publicly in 2012 and has only rarely been seen in public with Todd Spiewak.

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: Charlie Sheen Reveals He's HIV+

Actor Charlie Sheen revealed in a live interview with NBC's Today this week that he is HIV-positive. Although Sheen was television's top-paid actor when he appeared on CBS' Two and a Half Men his public profile has dropped considerably since he left television after the show Anger Management was cancelled last year. He revealed that he became aware of his status about four years ago and that he has paid out "millions" of dollars in extortion money to people who had threatened to publicly reveal this information. He made a statement:

"I’m here to admit that I am in fact HIV positive. And, I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks, of sub-truths, and very harmful stories that are about threatening the health of so many others, which couldn’t be farther from the truth." 

It will be interesting to  see how the celebrity gossip culture reacts to this revelation. There were apparently all sorts of rumors about Sheen's health which influenced his decision to come out now. Social media, generally has been relatively kind, so far.

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: Kordale and Kaleb (2 Hot Gay Dads) Broke Up

In January I blogged about the heartwarming story of a Kodak commercial featuring a Black gay male couple and their three kids. The names of the guys in the couple are Kordale Anthony and Caleb Lewis and the two have nearly 200 000 followers on Instagram.

Of course, this being America, we now have news from People magazine that the couple has broken up.

It seems Anthony and Lewis made an effort to work out their issues but ultimately could not mend feelings of "disrespect."  

"Neither one of us were perfect in our relationship, but when you are blatantly disrespected by someone who is supposed to be working with you to make y'all better, going to counseling smiling and telling you how much everything is going to work out…it's over," Anthony writes.  

Anthony assures his kids Desmiray, Malia, and Kordale Jr. that he will still be there for them despite the breakup. 

I wish the best for Kordale and Caleb and hope that things work out for the best.

Hat/tip to Wonder Man

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: Grigor Dimitrov and Maria Sharapova Split Up

Tennis supercouple Maria Sharapova and Grigor Dimitrov have broken up, more than two years after they publicly acknowledged they were a couple in May 2013 (although many people believe they started seeing each other well before that date.) Dimitrov, who is now ranked #16 but has been in something of a slump for most of 2015, gave a press conference to confirm the break-up after multiple reports said that Sharapova had gone on vacation without him to Montenegro after being beaten by Serena Williams for the 17th time in a row in the Wimbledon semifinals earlier this month. Sharapova, 28, is back up to World #2 in the WTA rankings and was in the 2015 Australian Open final.

The 24-year-old 6-foot-2 175-pound Bulgarian is considered one of the best-looking men on the ATP tour, although he was cryptically described by Serena as a "guy with a black heart." Somehow, I don't think it's his heart that has made him so popular! Maybe he should share notes with Radek Stepanek.

Wesley Chu's Time Salvager May Become Michael Bay Movie

Wesley Chu's latest book Time Salvager is not released until tomorrow, is getting very strong reviews and it has already been optioned to become a Hollywood movie by a big name Hollywood director known for his (generally awful) box-office blockbusters. tor.com is reporting about a deal where Michael Bay (Transformers) will direct a film for Paramount Pictures based on Chu's Time Salvager with the author set to be an executive producer.

Chu is the author of the Tao series of books that I read and positively reviewed earlier this year. I think those books would make an excellent series of movies (or better, a TV series). Anyway, I have no idea how Hollywood works. Regardless, I am looking forward to reading Time Salvager when it comes out tomorrow. (It's on sale at Amazon.com for half-price today!)

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: Lifetime Movie Includes Whitney Houston's Lesbian Lover Storyline

The Lifetime movie on the life of Whitney Houston directed by Angela Bassett and starring YYa Dacosta will apparently include a storyline about the long lesbian rumored relationship between Whitney and Robyn Crawford that was "more than just friendship."

The Daily Beast has an interview with the actress Yolonda Ross who plays Robyn in the film:

I have to confess, I had no idea that Whitney had a rumored gay lover before reading about your role in this movie. No clue!Really?! That’s funny. I was here in New York before she was with Bobby. So I knew of Robyn. It’s funny how many people don’t know of her because they’re younger or people who didn’t get on to Whitney until she was already with Bobby. But I already knew of her and of the whole situation. When you look back at it, it’s interesting how that part, which was a thing that was actually written in the press at one time, was squashed and brushed away when all the other stuff happened in her life later.[...]But because this movie doesn’t actually go out and say “they were lovers!”, how do you portray their relationship? Were you playing up or, on the flip side, shying away from portraying a romantic attraction?No, I wasn’t shying away from it. She’s a beautiful woman. And from what I knew of Robyn then, I don’t think she was in the closet. It’s a love and it’s an admiration. So that was played there. How much of it is a love that’s between two lovers is a different story, because that, then, would have called for there to be different kinds of scenes in the movie. I played it as love and longing. Ultimately, what’s happening with them is that the person who Robyn loves is leaving. No matter if you’re lovers or a best friend, when someone you love leaves to get married, your relationship is going to change. That’s what I played. And that’s what it was.

The movie debuts on the Lifetime network on January 17, 2015.

Asimov's Foundation Being Adapted For HBO By Christopher Nolan's Brother Jonathan

Isaac Asimov is one of the main reasons why I am a fan of science fiction to this day as well as being an avid reader of genre fiction in general. In the popular media Asimov was known for his popular promotion of science and technology but he was also the author of the landmark, best-selling series Foundation. He was the author of dozens of books and an influence on many authors who came after him.

Jonathan Nolan is best known to me as the (younger) brother of Christopher Nolan, my favorite film director. However, Jonathan has been listed as a co-author on several of Christopher's hit films such Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar. He is probably most well-known for co-creating (with his wife Lisa Joy Nolan) the hit television show Person of Interest on CBS.

I found out today from reading Aidan Moher's wonderful blog that Jonathan is adapting Asimov's Foundation series for HBO. This is incredibly exciting news to me (perhaps even more exciting than the news that my current favorite sci-fi series, James S.A. Corey's The Expanse, is being adapted for SyFy).

Apparently, Jonathan has another project for HBO coming out soon also. He co-wrote the pilot for Westworld, a big-budget sci-fi series (about artificial intelligence) to appear on HBO in 2015 starring heavyweights like Sir Anthony Hopkins, James Marsden, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright and Thandie Newton. Westworld is based on material written by Michael Chrichton, who adapted his own short story in a 1973 film of the same name that he wrote and directed (which bombed).

The Wrap summarized how the Jonathan Nolan Foundation deal happened.

The “Foundation” series was originally comprised of three books — “Foundation,” “Foundation and Empire” and “Second Foundation.” The trilogy won a Hugo Award for “Best All-Time” series in 1966, 15 years before Asimov began adding to the series with sequels “Foundation's Edge” and “Foundation and Earth,” as well as prequels “Prelude to Foundation” and “Forward the Foundation.” 

Sony Pictures acquired “Foundation” in a multi-studio auction back in 2009 and attached Roland Emmerich to direct and produce. Two years later, the studio hired Dante Harper (“Akira”) to adapt the books. When the project failed to materialize, HBO spent big bucks to acquire the property when it became available earlier this summer.

There's no information about how soon Foundation would be ready to go to air but I doubt it would happen in the Obama administration. I imagine it will depend on the script Nolan can produce and it might also depend on the critical and commercial response to Westworld in 2015.

Still, this is very exciting news for geeks like myself who are huge fans of Asimov and the Foundation!

TENNIS TUESDAY: Serena (Finally) Addresses Rumors About Her Bizarre Wimbledon Behavior

Serena Williams has (finally) addressed the rumors and innuendoes circulating to try to explain her erratic demeanor on the second Tuesday of Wimbledon three days after being surprisingly ousted by Alize Cornet in 3 sets in the 3rd round.

In an interview to Sports Illustrated, the 17-time major champion says:

“I have nothing to hide,” she says. “No, I didn’t take anything. If you want to ask me if I took drugs, I didn’t take drugs. I’m not on drugs. I’ve heard it all. I’m not pregnant; I wasn’t pregnant. Although I think a baby would be great, but there’s a time and place for everything. But no, I don’t do drugs. Never did ’em. I’m scared of ’em. I’m not on that stuff.”

Word had gone around that some in the women’s locker room that day, watching her distress live on TV, were pantomiming Serena drinking. 

But, Williams says, she wasn’t drunk, either. “God, no,” she says, laughing. “I wish.”

And she goes on to give her side of the story:

Her Wimbledon explanation: After losing meekly the previous Saturday in a third-round singles match to 25th seed Alizé Cornet, Williams took to her bed for the next three days, feeling dehydrated, dizzy and feverish, “just in my room, sweating like crazy.” She was not examined by a doctor. Venus urged her repeatedly to pull out of their Tuesday doubles match. “Begged me not to play,” Serena says.

Serena also says that the anti-doping testers showed up at her room at about 7am just as she was throwing up but she let them in and they took her sample. It has been almost 6 weeks since the incident and Serna says she has not been informed of anything being amiss.

GOSSIP: (22yo Black Gay Athlete) Derrick Gordon Dating Gerald McCullouch (47yo White TV Star)

An update on the Derrick Gordon, who came to our attention last month when he became the first NCAA Division 1 Basketball player to come out as gay, is now making waves because he is dating a television actor, Gerald McCullouch, who is best known for appearing on the television show C.S.I. and the independent film Bear City.

The two were photographed together at the recent GLAAD awards. Gerald is 47 (and white) and Derrick is 22 (and Black) so some people are FREAKING OUT about the age and race differences.


What do you all think, Gentle Readers? Personally, I think people should let people be people and chill the **** out! The two make a cute couple. Though, I must caution people to remember, the boy has been out for literally a month...

hat/tip to Wonder Man

TENNIS TUESDAY: Dimitrov and Sharapova Win Titles On Same Day

Tennis' power couple Maria Sharapova and Grigor Dimitrov each won titles this weekend on clay. Dimitrov won just his 3rd career title, by defeating 2-time defending champion Lukas Rosol 7-6(2) 6-1 in Bucharest while Sharapova became a 3-time champion in Stuttgart by coming back from 0-5 down in the first set to win 3-6 6-4 6-1.

For Dimitrov it was his second title of the year and first ever on clay, but for Sharapova it was her first title since winning at Stuttgart last year. On clay, Sharapova has only lost to Serena Williams (3 times) in the last two clay court seasons (2012 and 2013) and has yet to face the World #1 on the surface this year. Serena is taking a long break from tennis after suffering a couple shocking losses this year, to Alize Cornet in Dubai and Jana Cepelova in Charleston.

Sharapova's win was timely because it forestalled her dropping out of the Top 10. Dimitrov's win keeps him at a career high #14 in the world. He will need to make some inroads at the Masters tournaments in Madrid and Rome coming up in order to reach the Top 10, but I certainly expect him to be there before Wimbledon.

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: "Boy Genius" Ronan Farrow Is Gay

Ronan Farrow is Mia Farrow's son, and is either the son of Frank Sinatra or Woody Allen. He is 25-years-old and has already graduated from Yale Law School (4 years ago!), won a Rhode Scholarship and served in the Obama administration. And apparently he is gay, according to Vice, although you wouldn't know that from recent media articles:

It's not as obvious to me that Farrow's sexuality needed to be mentioned in the Times profile, though again there's a dog-whistle issue: "When he wasn’t busy navigating world events, [Farrow] was adding some panache to the Washington social scene, often appearing at political fetes with Jon Lovett, a former Obama speechwriter”; and "he is guarded about his private life, suggesting a persona more carefully calibrated than he lets on." OK, maybe that's a little louder than a dog-whistle. It’s possible that the piece’s author, Michael Schulman, who often writes about gay celebrities, couldn't get anyone to verify Farrow's sexuality on the record. 

[...] 

As a gay man, I find Farrow's sexuality highly relevant—he's literally the gay Mia Farrow! It’s only by accepting a homophobic logic that we can perform the mental acrobatics required to decide sexuality should be off the table. It’s just as interesting as any other detail, and no more embarrassing. As a New York court ruled last year, outing is a banality—identifying someone as a homosexual never qualifies as defamation, even if it isn’t true.

I also find Farrow's sexuality relevant. And I support "outing," although I prefer the term Michelangelo Signorile used at the time: "equalization." To me the point is to equalize the treatment of celebrities' homosexuality with their heterosexuality by the media. The notion that homosexuality is some horribly shameful secret while tabloids will reveal every other piece of information about a person is just simply wrong in my opinion. One can argue that nobody's private sexual behavior should be discussed in tabloids, but if you're going to talk about it when straight people do it, I insist you give LGBT people the same treatment.

Sunday Gossip: L.A. Councilman Jose Huizar Reveals Affair With Staffer

Ooops! While I was busy grading papers this weekend a big local story broke in North East Los Angeles politics. My City Councilperson, Jose Huizar, is being sued for sexual harassment by a former staffer named Francine Godoy; Huizar has said that the two had a "consensual relationship" but denies the harassment allegations. The drama is because Huizar has had a reputation as something of a "boy scout" and is married with four kids, including a daughter that was recently diagnosed with cancer. He is the first Mexican immigrant to be elected to the Los Angeles City Council.

Huizar has been my City Councilperson since he won a special election to replace Antonio Villaraigosa in 2005, representing various parts of North East Los Angeles like the neighborhoods of Eagle Rock, Highland Park, El Sereno and Boyle Heights. Among blogging circles, Huizar's relationship with his female deputy chief of staff has long been a subject of speculation.

Huizar has already filed to run for re-election in March 2015. He won re-election in 2011 after a  contentious race with Rudy Martinez. Los Angeles City Councilmembers are limited to three terms in office.

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: T.R. Knight Got Married

T.R. Knight, the openly gay former star of television drama Grey's Anatomy partied with his former co-stars, including movie star Katherine Heigl, at his wedding last week. Knight, 40, married his longtime boyfriend Patrick Leahy in a private ceremony in upstate New York, according to multiple gossip sources:

Knight, 40, is currently playing the role of Mercutio in the Classic Stage Company's off-Broadway production of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet in New York City. Knight's A-list costars in the classic tragedy include Elizabeth Olsen and William Hurt. "[The] cast wishes they could go too, but they all congratulated him," the source adds. Knight was noticeably absent from the Friday and Saturday showings to celebrate the big occasion.

Knight is best known for playing Dr. George O'Malley on Grey's from 2005 to 2009. He's also appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Good Wife and the film 42.

Congrats to the happy couple!

Kvitova Beats Kerber To Win WTA Tokyo Title

Petra Kvitova had a very good week in Tokyo, Japan, winning the Pan Pacific Open by defeating Angelique Kerber 6-2 0-6 6-3 in the final, the first WTA title decided between two left-handed players in over 20 years. Kvitova outlasted Venus Williams in the semifinals, winning 6-3 3-6 7-6(2) while Kerber beat Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. It was Venus' best showing at a tournament all year, and she hit a serve at 129.9 mph (209.0 kph) that will not be documented by the WTA as a record due to a technicality.

Kvitova, 23, who is reportedly dating 34-year-old fellow Czech Radek Stepanek, will rise to World #7, making her atleast the third WTA champion the ATP champion has dated in his career. Stepanek married former WTA star Nicole Vaidisova in 2010 but they announced they were getting divorced in June 2013.

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: Novak Djokovic Engaged To Jelena Ristic

Current World #1 Novak Djokovic, 26, who this week became the 9th player in history to reach 100 weeks at the top of the ATP tour, announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend, Jelena Ristic, via twitter earlier this week.

Ristic, 27, now runs Djokovic's charitable foundation and is often seen in his player's box, cheering on her man to victory. With Djokovic's announcement and Murray's multiple public appearances with model gielfriend Kim Sears, will Rafael Nadal's girlfriend (Francisca "Xisca" Perelllo) get a higher profile?

Roger Federer, 32, is roughly five years older than his higher ranked rivals and has been married to Mirka Vavrinek for over 4 years and is now the father of three-year old twin girls Charlene and Myla.

New Doctor Who Star To Be Revealed Today!

There have been 11 white male actors to play the lead character on the long-running British television series Doctor Who. Matt Smith announced this summer he would be leaving the show, and we will know who the 12th Doctor Who today will be by the end of a live television show on BBC America at 7pm British time (2pm EDT).

The show has been running for more tan 50 years and has improved dramatically in recent years. It no longer has cheesy visual effects and it still has one of the best television theme songs of all time. A number of Britain's greatest acting talents (Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Diana Rigg, Sophie Okonedo, John Hurt, Richard E. Grant, Bill Nighy) have guest starred on the latest version of the show, which is run by an openly gay man, Steven Moffatt. (CORRECTION: Russell T. Davies, the showrunner before Moffat too over Doctor Who, is openly gay; Moffat is not!)

The show has become notably more diverse, with people of color playing larger roles. It will be very interesting if the producers take the next logical step and cast a non-white actor in the role. Do you think it will happen?

Celebrity Friday: Cheyenne Jackson Splits From Husband

38-year-old openly gay actor Cheyenne Jackson (Behind the Candelabra, 30 Rock and Glee) has separated from his physicist husband Monte Lapka after nearly 2 years of marriage, ending their 13-year relationship. People magazine reports the news:

"Cheyenne Jackson and his husband Monte Lapka have mutually decided to divorce. The couple have been together for 13 years and were married in N.Y. State two years ago. It is an amicable parting and, understandably, a private matter," a rep for the actor tells PEOPLE. 

Although this is sad news for the couple, I am happy to see that there is equally obnoxious reporting on the private lives of LGBT celebrities as there is for straight celebrities. Years ago this would have been called "outing" but it is yet another sign that the good guys are winning the kulturkampf when gay divorces are being reported as matter-of-factly as gay marriages. This is America, we're gonna have a lot of both!

Hat/tip to TowleRoad

Celebrity Friday: Jonathan Groff and Zachary Quinto Break Up?

Apparently one of Hollywood's power gay male couples has broken up. Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock in the latest Star Trek movies, and Jonathan Groff, who starred in Glee and Boss, had apparently been a well-known couple, known in the gossip rags as "Grinto"! Quinto, 36, and Groff, 28, were not able to spend much time together due to conflicting filming schedules.

US Magazine reports:

Quinto, 36, who is best known for his turn as Mr. Spock in two Star Trek films and terrifying turns in seasons one and two of American Horror Story, is currently preparing to make his Broadway debut in The Glass Menagerie this fall. As it happens, Groff has put aside any of his own heartache to console his close friend Lea Michele -- now grieving the death of her boyfriend, Cory Monteith. "He flew to be with her as soon as he heard," another pal says. "His heart is broken for her." 

He and Glee actor Groff, 28, first confirmed their relationship in September 2012, nearly a year after Quinto officially came out as a gay man in October 2011.

It's good to see that Hollywood is gossiping about the love lives of gay and lesbian celebrities just like they do with straight ones. That's what we mean by LGBT equality!

Celebrity Friday: Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou

Serena Williams attended the International Tennis Federation awards with her "coach/consultant/who-knows-what-more" Patrick Mouratoglou on Tuesday night in Paris during the French Open tennis tournament, where she is attempting to win her second singles title on Saturday against Maria Sharapova. There has been lots of gossip about Serena and the married Mouratoglou, who have been seen spending time together around Paris, even when there is no tennis tournament going on

Serena won the ITF "World Champion" award for the third time in her career (2002, 2009, 2012).

John Berry, Highest Ranked Gay Federal Employee, Resigns

The highest ranked gay appointee of the Obama administration, John Berry, the head of the Office of Personnel Management (formerly known as the U.S. Civil Service Commission) has decided to leave his position, effective this week. Technically, Berry's term as head of the federal government's "human resources department" is four years and he started on April 13, 2009 but if he had wanted to stay another four years the President would have re-appointed him. Berry was head of the agency when the Obama administration announced it was extending some (mostly non-financial) benefits to domestic partners of federal employees.

The White House issued a statement about Berry's departure from OPM:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 12, 2013

Statement by the President on John Berry’s Departure

John Berry has served the American people well as Director of the Office of Personnel Management.  He’s streamlined the way federal employees are hired, modernized the workplace, made the federal workforce more diverse, and increased the number of returning servicemembers hired by the government.  John has been a champion for federal workers – men and women who devote their lives to vital tasks like securing our borders, curing disease, and keeping the American people safe.  This country is better off because of John’s talent and dedication, and I’m grateful to him for his service.

###

At OPM, Berry will be temporarily replaced by the openly lesbian General Counsel of the Agency, Elaine Kaplan. Kaplan is on Lias Keen's recently compiled list of the Top 12 LGBT Presidential Appointments by the Obama administration and has also been named to be the Chief Judge of the (obscure but important) U.S. Court of Federal Claims, a federal appellate court. Interestingly, Berry is being rumored to be on the top of the short list to be named Ambassador to Australia. LGBT activists had been pushing for the President to name an openly LGBT cabinet secretary, and it was hoped that Berry would be that name. With Berry's experience of running the National Zoo and the National Wildlife Commission, he was thought to be a serious contender for Secretary of the Interior Department.

Ambassador for Australia would be interesting, because the current Ambassador to New Zealand is an openly gay man, David Heubner. Both Australia and New Zealand are in the middle of national political conversations about enacting marriage equality, with New Zealand making much more progress towards legislative change than Australia. If other rumors are true, Berry and Heubner would not be the Obama administration's only openly gay ambassadors, since the President is also considering his 2012 campaign's openly gay fundraising chairman Rufus Gifford to be named Ambassador to Denmark. I think that's a pretty good reward for being responsible for raising $1 billion for Obama-Biden 2012, don't you?

It seems to me Rufus should get his pick of which country to go (within reason, of course, I'm sure there are sensitive geo-political concerns that have to be balanced). If you could be Ambassador to anywhere, where would you pick? I think I would pick Italy (probably taken), South Africa or the Netherlands. Iceland would be great, as well! Which country would you pick?