02/09/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

Portia De Rossi has come a long day from her Ally McBeal days. BE (Before Ellen) De Rossi was tight lipped about her personal life and opened up just the narrowest crack to allow the public access to her struggle with eating disorders. Today, De Rossi is a beautiful, strong, articulate woman who will go head to head with anyone to defend marriage equality and preservation of positive self image.

De Rossi states in the interview that:

“Ever since Ellen and I got together, I feel like I’ve been given an opportunity to actually—God, this sounds corny…” She rolls her eyes at herself, fidgets, and then forges ahead. “Well, I feel like my life can actually kind of stand for something. And I don’t mean that in a self-aggrandizing way, like, ‘Look at me, I can make a difference.’ But I feel like, maybe I get why I’m here.”

The LGBT community couldn’t ask for a better spokesperson. De Rossi also says that it is up to the LGBT community to fight for marriage equality:

“I think it’s up to us to save marriage,” she says. “Up to gay people across the country, seeing as though we’re fighting for it so vehemently.” De Rossi has an impressive ability to marry the personal and political: “This whole thing has been a wave of excitement and hope, and then it gently falls back into despair. And then it picks us up again. Unfortunately, we’re the ones who have to suffer this—this humiliation, really. There’s kind of a dignity that’s been stripped from us. Gay people are the ones who have to suffer through it—but without it, it won’t change.”

De Rossi also reveals that she is working on a book that will be published in the fall. It will focus on her battle with anorexia.

Check out the rest of the interview here:

http://advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/People/The_Great_de_Rossi/

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02/90/2010-by Natasia Langfelder

Sarah Silverman is known for her controversial comedy. She frequently includes the LGBT community in her many borderline offensive comedy routines. My personal favorite being when she “becomes” a lesbian on The Sarah Silverman Show and says “As a lesbian I resent your laughter and all laughter.” However, Silverman got very serious about marriage equality last friday on the view.

“I can not imagine wanting to get married right now at this time in America. If you’re for equal rights, why would you get married right now? It’s like joining a country club that doesn’t allow blacks or Jews. There’s no difference. Why would I wanna join that club? It’s gross.”

Silverman’s statement is beautiful in its simplicity. Comparing perpetuating institutional prejudice in the form of marriage to the kind perpetuated by those in exclusive country clubs is an argument that is easily understandable and doesn’t allow for very much wiggle room by those seeking to disprove marriage equality.

Silverman is a staunch supporter of LGBT rights and it’s easy to see why she has such a large LGBT fanbase. Watch the Sarah Silverman show on LOGO to support Silverman.

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02/08/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

The Samantha Ronson/Lindsay Lohan romance has been off for a few months now. There have been reports of Lohan dating men, even another DJ that Ronson is acquainted with. When Ronson was asked by paparazzi how she felt about that, she wished Lohan luck with her new romance. Over the past two weeks, there has been more reports of Lohan’s erratic behavior when it comes to Ronson. First, Ronson asked paparazzi if Lohan was sending them after her on purpose. Given Lohan’s relationship with the paparazzi, this seems possible. Also, witnesses at clubs say that Lohan has been grinding with other women in front of Ronson, to try and make her jealous. Lohan has thrown a drink in Ronson’s face and Ronson herself admitted that she got kicked out of a club because Lohan kept flicking cigarette butts at her.

Despite the witnessed violent behavior from Lohan towards Ronson, Lohan is claiming that Ronson is the one who has been throwing the punches, literally. A source has exclusively spoken to Radaronline.com saying:

One time I saw her [Lindsay] and she had a large welt on her head,” the source told RadarOnline.com. “She told me that Sam beat the (bleep) out of her.

“She also said that Sam even punched and choked her one time.”

Ronson has not responded to these allegations. However, they seem out of character for the lesbian DJ, who kept a low profile before her romance with Lohan. No past girlfriends of Ronson’s have come forward to verify this type of behavior on Ronson’s part. I would assume that they are false until proven, because that is the kind of rumor that can ruin someone’s life. Domestic abuse accusations aren’t something one should participate in out of anger towards an ex-girlfriend.

These accusations are very serious. Abuse by a partner is a huge issue and shouldn’t be taken lightly. The LBQ community doesn’t necessarily embrace an open dialogue about domestic violence or rape within our own community, but it happens. Let’s hope that in this case, where there is smoke there isn’t fire.

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02/08/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

Rachel Maddow wants you to know that she is not getting married. Maddow is currently living with her long term partner, artist Susan Mikula. Maddow and Mikula met when Maddow was a grad student. Maddow shoveled Mikula’s driveway…among other things.

Maddow said in an interview today:

“This spring, we will have been together for 11 years, and our relationship is serious and happy, mature, monogamous. We like having the right…but we’re making our own decision about whether we should exercise it.”

I don’t want to delve into the validity of Maddow’s relationship. However, statements such as these generally occur right before the couple in question breaks up. This applies to gay or straight relationships. Ladies, feel free to get your hopes up.

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1/31/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

It has been no secret in NYC lately has been that Alicia Keys and rapper Swizz Beatz have been looking for an apartment together.  Now, sources say that the two are engaged. Beatz reportedly gave Keys a seven carat diamond ring for her 29^th birthday and the two are currently in Hawaii together on vacation. Keys’ spokesperson is denying the engagement.

The denial of the engagement comes as a surprise, when so much of managing Keys’ career is dispelling the lesbian rumors that have persisted since her career first took off. In 2003 and 2007 Keys released statements directly addressing the lesbian rumors and denying them. Since then, much publicity centering around Keys’ has been to remind the general public that she likes men. A lot. All the time. We get it, she says she’s straight. Also, Keys’ relationship with Swizz Beatz has been so heavily publicized that it makes no sense for her handlers to back off now.

If they are engaged, congrats to the happy couple. For any of you holding out hope that Keys will someday admit she plays for our team, don’t hold your breath, ladies.

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1/31/2010- by Natasia Langfelder            

Dolly Parton, a longtime supporter of LGBT rights, told the Times of London that she believes in marriage equality and that LGBT rights are human rights, not political fodder.  Parton says that while she is not a posterchild for gay rights, she has many LGBT friends that she feels have the right to marriage.

Parton has a large gay following and while she embraces her fans and their rights, she has never been the most outspoken celebrity in a political sense. In the interview, she states that she doesn’t want the controversy suffered by stars such as the Dixie Chicks, who made polarizing political statements. It seems unlikely that Parton will suffer a backlash from these comments, as it is generally known among her fans that she embraces her LGBT fanbase.

1/29/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

Rosie O’Donnell is doing the media rounds as she promotes her new HBO special, “A Family is a Family is a Family: A Rosie O’Donnell Celebration.” She first made headlines, at least during promotions for her HBO special, when she announced on Oprah that lesbians can stay better friends after breakups than heterosexuals. Now, she is talking to LocateTV, with her son, Parker, by her side.

O’Donnell admits that she is not looking for a full time position on TV. Her family is her first priority. The interview shows a different side of O’Donnell, who is frequently over exposed. O’Donnell and her son show a genuine affection for each other and come off as very down to earth, despite their wealth and stardom. Parker says of his mother:  

LOCATETV: What’s your relationship with your mom? Does she know as much as maybe you thought she did a few years ago? (laughter) How do you guys get along?

PARKER: I’m going to get in trouble.

ROSIE: No, take it. Say the truth.

LOCATETV: Be honest now. (laughter)

PARKER: Well, me and mom have been close probably, yeah, since I was born. (laughter) Yeah. So I would probably say I talk to her a lot about a lot of stuff that’s going on. And she probably knows most of the stuff that she needs to know. (laughter)

 If you are interested in Rosie (not all of us are) you can read the rest of the interview here:

http://www.locatetv.com/blog/mamas-family-rosie-odonnell-style/

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1/24/2010-by Natasia Langfelder

Julianne Moore is straight. She is married to director Bart Freundlich and they have two children together, a boy and a girl. However, Moore has never shied away from taking on unconventional roles, roles that perhaps most straight actresses wouldn’t want to take on.  Moore first made it onto my radar when I read a quote from the actress saying that she was hungry all the time.  It’s rare for an actress to admit, with that type of honesty, that she has to make that kind of sacrifice to be able to practice her craft. Moore first made it onto the LGBT radar when she starred in The Hours (2002), alongside Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep, as a closeted 50’s housewife who goes on to leave her husband and child in order to stay true to her identity.  Moore’s performance was as beautiful as it was heart-wrenching and she was nominated for her work in the film by both the Screen Actors Guild and the Academy.

Moore is getting a lot of buzz for her recent choices in roles in two soon to be released movies. The film “Chloe” stars Moore and Amanda Seyfried (Momma Mia, Mean Girls) as a wife who pays an escort to seduce her husband and said escort, respectively.  Recently, screen shots of the movie have surfaced showing that Seyfried’s character, at the very least, kisses Moore’s character. At first blush, the plot of Chloe sounds more suited to the playboy channel than in the repertoire of an academy award winning actress. But so does the plot of Boogie Nights, a film that earned Moore nominations from the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and the Academy.  The LBQ audience has to trust that Moore would not take this role unless it depicted the community in an honest light, if not in the most flattering light.

Moore will be starring as a lesbian parent, alongside Annette Benning, in the film “The Kids are Alright.”  The film centers around two lesbian parents who conceived their two children through artificial insemination with sperm purchased from a sperm bank. When the children want their biological father brought into the picture, complications arise for the family. The movie was recently shown at the Sundance Film Festival.  

Moore’s three LBQ roles could not be more diverse and truly do represent the diversity among women who love women. Moore’s stable background as a heterosexual wife and mother combined with her prolific on-screen roles and artistic consistency in her acting, probably helps to account for her sustained popularity among straight audiences as well as gay. However, if this stability helps her to explore and break new ground in queer films, it proves her commitment to the LGBT community and to visibility for an often overlooked group of people.

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1/24/2010-by Natasia Langfelder

Courtenay Semel, the heiress to the Yahoo fortune and self labeled “Lesbian Don Juan,” opened up to E! entertainment news and gives new details about her relationship with Casey Johnson.  Semel maintains that despite her turbulent romance with Johnson, which ended long before Johnson’s death, that Johnson was her other half and the love of her life.  She describes their relationship, detailing that she and Johnson knew each other their entire lives.  They initially beefed in high school, when Johnson’s ex-boyfriend began dating Semel. However, one night the two women found themselves together at Hyde, and knowing no one else, sparked up their friendship again. Semel, who had come out by that time, even going so far as to try to set Johnson up with Semel’s brother. That relationship never sparked, and Semel reveals that Johnson told her she wanted to date women. After that the girls were inseparable, according to Semel.

Semel tells E! that Johnson predicted her own death, Johnson telling Semel that she wouldn’t make it past her 30^th birthday. Semel also says that she has no doubt in her mind that Johnson’s death was attributed to drugs. Which is an odd thing to say to the world about the “love of your life,” which Semel repeatedly states in the interview regarding Johnson. Semel reveals that days before Johnson died, they argued and Semel lied and told Johnson she was dating someone new. They day after, Johnson began her much publicized relationship with Tila Tequila. Semel ends the interview saying that she has regrets and that she will always love Johnson.

The interview does seem heartfelt, but one has to wonder how someone could open herself up enough and say those types of statements to the world, if they are completely true.

This interview probably marks the next step in Semel launching herself into reality stardom. In the pictures they show of Semel and Johnson, they both look young, innocent, sweet, sober; A marked difference from Johnson’s pictures with Tila Tequila. It is In Semel’s defense she always looked awkward on the red carpet with Tila, almost like she was embarrassed and fighting the urge to hide her face. When she was dating Lindsay Lohan, her face was never visible to cameras. Lohan’s rumored girlfriend was an impression of thick black hair and skinny jeans.

Even Semel’s relationship with Johnson was low-key until January 14^th, 2009 when the women got into a physical fight and Semel was accused viciously beating Johnson and of lighting Johnson’s hair on fire.  It is interesting to see the evolution of Semel from the woman behind the scenes, to the woman who is quickly becoming as famous as Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian. Semel seems to be drawn to drama, but with this interview she proves that she is no longer willing to be on the sidelines.  Semel is very well spoken and on the surface, she appears to be a very intelligent young woman. It will be interesting to see if she, as an out lesbian, will be able to land the television and endorsement deals of her straight counterparts.

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Jean Simmons, the British actress  renowned for her role opposite Laurence Olivier in “Hamlet” died today at her Santa Monica, California  home after a battle with lung cancer.  She became a star whose during the 1950s and1960s in such films as “Guys and Dolls, “Elmer Gantry” and “Spartacus.” 

Ms Simmons, won an Emmy Award for her role in the 1980s miniseries “The Thorn Birds. “  She started her career at the young age of 14 and worked her way toward two academy nominations one in 1948 (Hamlet) and the other, some twent years later, as an alcoholic wife in the “Happy Ending”
 
Posted by Melanie Nathan. nathan@privatecourts.com

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001739/

1/19/2010-by Natasia Langfelder

Katy Perry shot to fame with her lez-ploitacious song, “I Kissed a Girl,” has never actually kissed a girl. But that hasn’t stopped her from using her image as teasingly bisexual to make herself appear more attractive to heterosexual men and to build up a loyal LGBT audience.

Perry, who has a body hot enough to distract you from her bug eyes and insipid personality, is currently dating/engaged to Russell Brand. Brand is a British comedian best known for his role in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” The two have been out and about and ensuring the paparazzi catch them at the appropriate intimate moments. She has even hinted at being pregnant over her twitter feed, to create buzz for herself.

Perry’s latest attention grab again involves pretending to be gay-ish. She told the Daily Star newspaper that if Russell Brand ever cheated on her, she would become a lesbian. Because being a lesbian is something you can “become,” at least according to Perry. She goes on to say something even stupider:

““I have a soft spot for women… if any of my boyfriends ever fail me, I’ll turn to them!” Some women walk into the room, and they’re so beautiful and you’re like: ‘I wanna smell you,’ you know.”   

 She wants to smell beautiful women? Gross. Hopefully Russell Brand will never cheat on her. She would make a really creepy fake lesbian.

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01/18/10-by Natasia Langfelder

In a refreshing change of pace, Eva Green, best known for her role as a generic Bond Girl #48923 in Quantum of Solace, expressed a desire to delve deeper into the sexuality of her lesbian character. Green is referring to her role as Ms. G, a headmistress at a boarding school, in the movie Cracks.

Cracks has been released overseas and will be released in the US in 2010. The movie focuses on Ms. G, the headmistress of a boarding school for girls. Ms. G has the admiration and respect of her students and her relationship with them borders on flirtation. However, one student in particular catches her eye leading her to cause jealousy among the other women.  Green is currently making the rounds and giving interviews to promote the film.  In one of her many interviews, Green states:  

“The love scene is soft – I wanted to go even further. In the book, she’s more sexual.  I read the book many times, which was very helpful to understand Miss G’s obsession.  She’s completely obsessed in the book. She’s quite manly, she’s wearing overalls and smoking cigars! She’s more sexual. In the film, she’s very delicate, sophisticated and feminine – it’s not the same.”

I love this quote. It’s rare for anyone in Hollywood to refer to a gender-bending woman as sexy or express a desire to play a less feminine role. Most actresses giggle and talk about how the other actresses they had love scenes were “hot” or how different it was from kissing a man.  

Perhaps this is because Green isn’t a Hollywood native. She’s French and created a stir when she was cast in Casino Royale as she never really fit the bond girl mode. I’m going to see the movie. I hope that it portrays it’s queer characters as well as Green does.

01/14/2010-by Natasia Langfelder

 Well ladies, it was only a matter of time. The Daily Mail is reporting that a 47 second scene featuring Lohan and a “mystery” man is being shopped around LA.  It is said that the man is a waiter at a Carl’s Jr. chain and that he or his camp will eventually sell the tape offshore, rendering Lohan powerless to stop it’s release.

I know Lindsay is a hot mess, but I feel bad for her. I really do. She shouldn’t have been stupid enough to make sex tape and it’s possible that at this point in time she wants it to be released so she can stay in the public eye.  Even if this is something she thinks she wants, in the end it will only humiliate her and cause her to spiral further out of control. If this tape really is being released without her consent, then that is unequivocally wrong and there should be ways to better protect women’s privacy.

 Let’s hope the tape doesn’t make it offshore. I don’t think that any of us are rooting for Lindsay to end up like Casey Johnson.

The National Inquirer is reporting that Rosie O’Donnell and her new girlfriend, Tracy Katrick-Anders have moved in together. Rosie seems to be moving quickly with this relationship, as she announced her split from Kelli Carpenter in December.

I don’t know about everyone else, but I am a huge Kelli Carpenter fan and I liked her and Rosie together. I hope they find their way back together sometime down the road, especially since there are children involved.

01/06/09-by Natasia Rose
The media has been in a frenzy covering the tragic death of Casey Johnson, the heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune. Johnson first appeared on my radar when she began dating Courtenay Semel, another heiress who lived with Lindsey Lohan for a hot minute before Lohan met DJ Samantha Ronson. At the time, I thought it was great that two almost famous heiresses were out and proud. Johnson and Semel had a chance to be yet another example to the world of beautiful, successful lesbians. However, their erratic behavior that included violence and ended with one woman setting the other woman’s hair on fire, quickly excluded them from joining the ranks of positive, high profile celesbian couples.

After parting ways with Semel, Johnson became very publicly involved with Tila Tequila. Tequila is a bisexual who climbed her way up to fame from MySpace. She is best known for her MTV reality dating show, “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.” Tequila is also an ex-girlfriend of Semel’s. Johnson became more famous as Tequila’s fiancée than she had ever been before. They were all over red carpets, looking inebriated and making out in front of the paparazzi. Johnson got more airtime from gossip blogs than ever before. After her death, the media has sensationalized her story by frequently using terms like “Lesbian Lover” to describe her relationship with Tequila.

Johnson’s death is certainly untimely and sad. However, what I have been thinking about the most since her death is how she, and celebrities like her, have impacted the public view of lesbians and bisexual women. I don’t think that anyone takes these women seriously as role models, but they are very visible members of our community. Perhaps the tendency for most people is to assume that for most conventionally feminine women, lesbianism is a phase or done for the pleasure of men. Maybe no one takes party girls who look and act as if they are perpetually high seriously about anything, much less their sexuality. Thankfully, Rush Limbaugh and Pat Buchanan aren’t rushing onto the scene to hold up Tila Tequila and Casey Johnson up as examples of insidious lesbians running rampant and spreading their depraved values on society.  

Johnson was never on the path to be a leading lesbian spokesperson. But, she did live her life loud and publicly, proving that lesbians are just like anyone else. We can make mistakes, be vulnerable, be bored, hang with the wrong people, and fall madly and desperately in love.

 

                                                                    Reported by Melanie Nathan

Following a Press release in LOS ANGELES, CA -  Celebrating its 20th milestone anniversary (March 31- April 4, 2010), Club Skirts The Dinah (www.TheDinah.com) is once again breaking grounds by delivering the creme de la creme of all things entertainment – and  this year again it includes THE Billboard pop artist with the current # 1 hit in the country and two other buzz-heavy breakthrough performers. 

She’s done it again!  Mariah Hanson, the visionary master brain and envelope pushing event producer behind The Dinah, has secured another extraordinarily exceptional entertainment line-up for the 2010 Dinah Shore weekend held at the Hilton Hotel and The Hyatt Regency in Palm Springs, CA!

In the span of two decades, Mariah Hanson, founder of Club Skirts, has turned The Dinah into a MUST SEE, MUST BE SEEN AT event, building a reputation as a trendsetter and the catalyst propelling new young artists to the top of the charts – Lady Gaga and Katy Perry were the breakthrough artist of 2009, Colbie Caillat in 2008 and The Pussy Cat Dolls back in 2006.

If The Dinah 2009 was EPIC not only securing the performances of a Grammy nominee and a Top Ten Billboard artist with the then # 1 Song in the country, but as well making it the most attended Dinah ever despite the economic crisis, The Dinah 2010 will be HISTORIC!

Meet The Dinah 2010 performers who will grace the stage of the prestigious Convention Center in the Sunny Oasis:

 Pop singer Ke$ha, who only this past few weeks, who came out about her bisexuality a few days ago, just scored her first # 1 hit with her contagiously catchy tune ”Tik Tok”  ending Jay-Z and Alicia Keys‘ five-week reign at the top of the US singles chart-  and bumped Lady Gaga off the number spot in Australia last week ….. number one in New Zealand, too and Canada.

Ke$ha is scheduled to perform at the highly anticipated 20th Anniversary of Club Skirts The Dinah (March 31 thru April 4) during Friday night’s White Diamond Party at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

Ke$ha   gained exposure in the mainstream media after being featured on Flo Rida’s single, “Right Round”.    ”Right Round,” soared to No. 1, selling more than 636,000 downloads its first week out, and shattering the all-time one-week digital single sales record. (Ke$ha also contributes her sassy vocal stylings to “Touch Me,” another track from Flo Rida’s upcoming 2009 album R.O.O.T.S.)

Also Featuring:
PARADISO GIRLS -The “Will I Am” Produced all Girl-Band from the creator of The Pussy Cat Dolls
LOLENE – The Dance Club Billboard Chart-Topper British Sire

  The countdown has started … tik tok … tik tok … it’s Dinah time!    www.TheDinah.com

  Posted by Melanie Nathan
 

 Posted by: Melanie Nathan   
nathan@privatecourts.com

01/05/09- by Natasia Rose
Jillian Michaels, the tough guy trainer for NBC’s hit series, “The Biggest Loser,” comes out as bisexual in the upcoming Februrary issue of Ladies Home Journal.

 The statement is fairly ambiguous, but fans have suspected that Michaels was gay for awhile now. Michaels was one of the original owners of Sky Sport, along with Workout Star Jackie Warner. There are also various reports on messageboards of women claiming to have spotted Michaels at Weho lez bars.  It remains to be seen if she will clarify on this statement or open up further about her personal life.

The Biggest Loser is a reality TV show where contestants compete to see who can lose the most weight.

12/21/09-by Paula Brooks
It would seem that Tila Tequila is trying to make news again….

Tila Tequila has made another shocking announcement. Taking to her Twitter page on Sunday, December 20, the MTV reality TV star confirmed that she is currently expecting her brother’s baby. “I am going to become a SURROGATE MOTHER for my brother and his Wife!!…That is my xmas present to them. I’m pregnant!!!” she wrote.

Before coming out with the pregnancy posting, Tila has gushed about giving a present for her brother that would “CHANGE HIS LIFE AND MINE FOREVER!!!! ITS HUGE!” through her Twitter page as well. Nonetheless, she didn’t provide any further details about the due date of the baby and the reason why she decided to become a surrogate mother….(via Tila Tequila Pregnant With Brother’s Child)

Earlier this month Tila announced that she had gotten engaged to her lesbian partner, Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson just about two month after she took to her Twitter page to announce that she has decided to commit a suicide…. That was right after she accused her then boyfriend, NFL player Shawne Merriman, of choking her in September.

Every family has a character like Tila you know… For mine it is my Uncle Rusty, who swears that the Kennedy Assassination and the Obama Birth Certificate are all part of the same conspiracy.

But like most families, we don’t really like to talk about it much… and we certainly wouldn’t trust him with the well being of an unborn child for nine months…

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12/15/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Niel Patrick Harris has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Miniseries, or Movie (Television). The Golden Globe is presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association annually and covers both film and television. Harris is most famous for his role on Doogie Howser, MD. Harris has been open about his sexuality to the public since 2006 though he had been open about it personally for quite some time. Harris has played the womanizing Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother since 2005. Since coming out, Harris has starred in a number of different roles and hosted the Emmys. In fact, one of the movies he provided the voice in, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, is up for its own Golden Globe in Best Animated Movie.

Sigourney Weaver was also nominated for her role in the TV Movie Prayers for Bobby. The movie, based on real events, follows mother Mary Griffin, played by Weaver, who believes that her son can be “cured” of his homosexuality through faith and prayer. Eventually her son became depressed and committed suicide. Mourning her loss, she eventually reaches out to the LGBT Community.

Here is the full list of nominees:

Picture, Drama: “Avatar,” “The Hurt Locker,” “Inglorious Basterds,” “Precious: Based on the Novel ’Push’ by Sapphire,” “Up in the Air.”

Picture, Musical or Comedy: “(500) Days of Summer,” “The Hangover,” “It’s Complicated,” “Julie & Julia,” “Nine.”

Actor, Drama: Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”; George Clooney, “Up in the Air”; Colin Firth, “A Single Man”; Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”; Tobey Maguire, “Brothers.”

Actress, Drama: Emily Blunt, “The Young Victoria”; Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”; Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”; Carey Mulligan, “An Education”; Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious: Based on the Novel ’Push’ by Sapphire.”

Director: Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”; James Cameron, “Avatar”; Clint Eastwood, “Invictus”; Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air”; Quentin Tarantino, “Inglorious Basterds.”

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Matt Damon, “The Informant!”; Daniel Day-Lewis, “Nine”; Robert Downey Jr., “Sherlock Holmes”; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “(500) Days of Summer”; Michael Stuhlbarg, “A Serious Man.”

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Sandra Bullock, “The Proposal”; Marion Cotillard, “Nine”; Julia Roberts, “Duplicity”; Meryl Streep, “It’s Complicated”; Meryl Streep, “Julie & Julia.”

Supporting Actor: Matt Damon, “Invictus”; Woody Harrelson, “The Messenger”; Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”; Stanley Tucci, “The Lovely Bones”; Christoph Waltz, “Inglorious Basterds.”

Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Nine”; Vera Farmiga, “Up in the Air”; Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”; Mo’Nique, “Precious: Based on the Novel ’Push’ by Sapphire”; Julianne Moore, “A Single Man.”

Foreign Language: “Baaria,” “Broken Embraces,” “The Maid (La Nana),” “A Prophet,” “The White Ribbon.”

Animated Film: “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” “Coraline,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “Up.”

Screenplay: Neill Blomkamp, “District 9”; Mark Boal, “The Hurt Locker”; Nancy Meyers, “It’s Complicated”; Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air”; Quentin Tarantino, “Inglorious Basterds.”

Original Score: Michael Giacchino, “Up”; Marvin Hamlisch, “The Informant!”; James Horner, “Avatar”; Abel Korzeniowski, “A Single Man”; Karen O, Carter Burwell, “Where the Wild Things Are.”

Original Song: “Cinema Italiano” (written by Maury Yeston), “Nine”; “I Want to Come Home” (written by Paul McCartney); “Everybody’s Fine”; “I Will See You” (written by James Horner, Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell); “Avatar”; “The Weary Kind (Theme from ’Crazy Heart’)” (written by Ryan Bingham, T Bone Burnett); “Crazy Heart”; “Winter” (written by U2), “Brothers.”

Television

Series, Drama: “Big Love,” HBO; “Dexter,” Showtime; “House,” Fox; “Mad Men,” AMC; “True Blood, HBO.

Actor, Drama: Simon Baker, “The Mentalist”; Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”; Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”; Hugh Laurie, “House”; Bill Paxton, “Big Love”

Actress, Drama: Glenn Close, “Damages”; January Jones, “Mad Men”; Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”; Anna Paquin, “True Blood”; Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer.”

Series, Musical or Comedy: “30 Rock,” NBC; “Entourage,” HBO; “Glee,” Fox; “Modern Family,” ABC; “The Office,” NBC.

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”; Steve Carell, “The Office”; David Duchovny, “Californication”; Thomas Jane, “Hung”; Matthew Morrison, “Glee.”

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Toni Collette, “United States of Tara”; Courteney Cox, “Cougar Town”; Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”; Tina Fey, “30 Rock”; Lea Michele, “Glee.”

Miniseries or Movie: “Georgia O’Keeffe,” Lifetime Television; “Grey Gardens,” HBO; “Into the Storm,” HBO; “Little Dorrit,” PBS; “Taking Chance,” HBO.

Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Joan Allen, “Georgia O’Keeffe”; Drew Barrymore, “Grey Gardens”; Jessica Lange, “Grey Gardens”; Anna Paquin, “The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler”; Sigourney Weaver, “Prayers for Bobby.”

Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Kevin Bacon, “Taking Chance”; Kenneth Branagh, “Wallander: One Step Behind”; Chiwetel Ejiofor, “Endgame”; Brendan Gleeson, “Into the Storm”; Jeremy Irons, “Georgia O’Keeffe.”

Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jane Adams, “Hung”; Rose Byrne, “Damages”; Jane Lynch, “Glee”; Janet McTeer, “Into the Storm”; Chloe Sevigny, “Big Love,”

Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Michael Emerson, “Lost”; Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother”; William Hurt, “Damages”; John Lithgow, “Dexter”; Jeremy Piven, “Entourage.”

HFPA List Of Nominees
Picture via Wikipedia

Edited to fix typo.

12/13/09-by Paula Brooks
Former Family Ties star Meredith Baxter is reportedly getting ready to marry her longtime partner.

In an interview with Today show host Matt Lauer earlier this month, the 62-year-old Baxter revealed that she had had a “later-in-life recognition” of her sexuality and has been in a relationship with her partner 54-year-old building contractor Nancy Locke for four years.

Now according to the National Enquirer, the couple is preparing to make their union official. However, Baxter and Locke are residents of California, and will not be able to marry in their home state. California’s Proposition 8 eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry last year in that state.

A source says the couple reportedly plan to go elsewhere, “They’re talking about getting married either in Canada or Massachusetts.”

Baxter, a three time Emmy winner, is best known for her role as Elyse Keaton in the series Family Ties, on which she played the ex-flower-child mother of Michael J. Fox. But in 1994, Baxter also won a Daytime Emmy Award for her role as a lesbian mother raising a young son, in a CBS Schoolbreak Special titled Other Mothers.

Meredith Baxter getting married? ABC15.com.

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Joy Behar has her own show and what a stroke of happiness for us queers; she is her own person and clearly is at the helm of her nightly presentations.  Her strength and force will go a long way as notwithstanding her progressive sensibility, her VIEW always seems so correct in a matter of fact “how could it be any different “ kind of  way.   Hence she may reach those who have yet to be touched.

I watched the Joy Behar show on TV last night.  Her guests explored a “home for the hols” topic, with an emphasis on their personal coming out experiences and the difficulties in coming out to family, or having same-sex partner be invited to the family table. The guests included Judy Gold comedienne. The show can be viewed at  http://joybehar.blogs.cnn.com/.

Clearly Ms. Behar is a great advocate for the LGBT community, albeit perhaps inadvertent. She has a distinctive ability to address issues within the realm of acceptance and not mere tolerance.  In providing the voice to one who says he is sick at the thought of male and male sex, – and the humor that ensued as a result, enhances her credibility and showcases the issue. The concerns and hardships for the LGBT community are expressed through the personal experiences and stories of the of guests who wear their “out” badges so proudly on their sleeves.

This Thanksgiving I want to thank Ms. Behar on behalf of our community, for providing a forum where we do not feel we are portrayed as an oddity or slither of irrelevant society, despite the ratings risks that may result.   She has a special gift where her “chutzpah-esque” humor transcends any possibility of alienation by landing squarely on the side of the person who she perceives as just another person.  The talent is in her ability to highlight the issue without making it an issue. You go Joy Behar. We love you dearly and oh yes “thanks!” Happy Thanks giving to All at LGR – Writers, Publisher Paula, Lizzy, Bridgette, Sei – Readers, Fans, Bloggers, Activists, Binational couples in hiding or exile abroad.!

Blogged by Melanie Nathan, -
Mama- Wife- Writer- Activist – Lawyer- Friend
www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com 
Contact:-  nathan@privatecourts.com
www.privatecourts.com, www.divorcemediators.us

Predictions from an  Activist    = Predictions from Melanie Nathan -  Triple MMM reveals my predictions…. lets see 2009 American Music Awards Nominations .

  POP/ROCK – Favorite Male Artist
 Eminem; Michael Jackson MMM,  T.I.

POP/ROCK – Favorite Female Artist
Beyonce 
Lady Gaga  MMM
Taylor Swift 

ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
Kings of Leon
 Taylor Swift
 Lady Gaga  
Eminem
Michael Jackson   MMM

POP/ROCK – Favorite Band, Duo or Group
The Black Eyed Peas MMM
Kings of Leon
Nickelback

POP/ROCK – Favorite Album
Fame – Lady Gaga 
Number Ones – Michael Jackson MMM
Fearless – Taylor Swift

COUNTRY – Favorite Female Artist       
 Reba McEntire   23rd nomination wow   
 Taylor Swift MMM
 Carrie Underwood

COUNTRY – Favorite Band, Duo or Group
 Rascal Flatts
Sugarland MMM
Zac Brown Band

COUNTRY – Favorite Album
Unstoppable – Rascal Flatts 
Fearless – Taylor Swift  MMM
Foundation – Zac Brown Band

RAP/HIP-HOP – Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
 Jay-Z MMM
 T.I.

RAP/HIP-HOP – Favorite Album
Relapse – Eminem MMM
Blueprint 3 – Jay-Z
Paper Trail – T.I.

SOUL/R&B – Favorite Male Artist
Jamie Foxx
Michael Jackson MMM
Maxwell

SOUL/R&B – Favorite Female Artist
Beyonce MMM
Keyshia Cole
 Keri Hilson

SOUL/R&B – Favorite Album
I Am…Sasha Fierce – Beyonce MMM
The E.N.D. – The Black Eyed Peas
Number Ones – Michael Jackson

SOUNDTRACKS – Favorite Album
Hannah Montana: The Movie  MMM
Hannah Montana 3
 Twilight Soundtrack

ADULT CONTEMPORARY – Favorite Artist
 Daughtry
 Jason Mraz
 Taylor Swift  MMM

LATIN – Favorite Artist
Aventura
Luis Fonsi MMM
Wisin Y Yandel

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL – Favorite Artist
Jeremy Camp
 Brandon Heath
 Mary Mary MMM

Quoting: The Democratic Party Site – CALL OUT: 

 “A lot of folks use Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family. For Sarah Palin, it’s a great way to spread lies about health insurance reform.  A few months back, Palin took to Facebook to declare that health reform would create “death panels,” and drive private insurers out of business — and nonpartisan fact-check sites and the independent Congressional Budget Office debunked those lies.

But that hasn’t stopped Sarah Palin. She’s back with a new Facebook note claiming that reform will raise costs on families and drive up deficits. Unfortunately for her, even the conservative “Tax Foundation” says those claims are false. “

So we’re calling out Sarah Palin, and taking to Facebook to debunk her lies on the very same pages she’s using to spread them.  Call Sarah Palin at 202-747-1812″

No more lies – it is not going to work anymore….

Refs: http://www.democrats.org/page/content/callemoutpalin

 Melanie Nathan -Quoting from Democratic Party Webpage and e-mail. Spread the word good lezgetrealpeeps- especially on your facebook sites!

   by Melanie Nathan

Melanie Nathan, CEO of  Private Courts Inc.  An Advocacy and Conflict Resolution Firm. www.privatecourts.com and www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com  and www.divorcemediattors.com  Contact  nathan@privatecourts.com

10/05/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Having decided to soldier on after the cancellation of her recent joint tour with Kanye West, Lady Gaga is also to appear at the upcoming Human Rights Campaign (HRC) dinner this weekend along side President Barack Obama. She is apparently also going to march in the protest which is set for this weekend as well. The singer born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta will be continuing the tour that she was suppose to be on with singer Kanye West who suffered a lot of bad publicity after he rather rudely jumped on stage in the middle of the MTV Awards to declare that singer Beyonce should have received the award for Best Music Video by a Female Artist.

Promoting their new movie Whip It, Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page glammed it up for a photospread soon to be featured in the popular women’s magazine, Marie Claire.

During the shoot the two celebrity actresses shared a lesbian kiss with each other, producing some steamy shots. When asked about the upcoming movie in an interview with Marie Claire writer Jessica Henderson, the ladies had this to say:

DB: She was in her frickin’ bra with an open jacket and hot-pink shorts, skating around the rink with red lips and …

EP: I was having a really good time.

DB: … and she was sexy as a mother … a feral creature. It was great. And it’s so screwed up for girls to think, Oh, because I don’t have that cookie-cutter model body, it must mean I don’t have the right body shape. And I love model bodies, but I just want women to embrace several body shapes. That’s the thing I love about derby. It’s really welcoming.

Though the photoshoot slideshow on the Marie Claire website does not include the photo of the pair kissing, CelebrityRumors.com has posted the photo while accusing the pair of “faking that they enjoy kissing one another”. CelebrityRumors.com concluded the kiss was not a genuine lesbian kiss, stating that Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page “got into modern women’s club behavior”.

9/13/09-by Paula Brooks
An award-winning gospel singing artist, producer and minister, Anthony Charles Williams II, better known by his fans as Tonex, has confirmed rumors about his sexuality and admitted that he is attracted to men during a recent interview on World Nets Lexi Show.

In 2007 William created another stir in the gospel music scene when he released a song called the “Naked Truth” were he was apparently admitted his sexuality and to being molested by a preacher when he was six years old.

Williams who is currently working with Janet Jackson on an upcoming CD, refused to blame his same-sex attraction because he was childhood victim of molestation and instead corrected the interviewer as she tried to portray Williams’s homosexuality in that light.

“It wasn’t a struggle. And then people like to blame the struggle on molestation. No. Just say you were attracted to men and be honest and quit blaming it on that experience”, says William’s.

Williams also slammed  black churches for their hypocrisy and mistreatment of Gay and Lesbians in the interview.

Williams said, “The church has completely faggotized everybody who’s gay, sends them to hell over the pulpit and the church literally screams hooray and are happy about that. And yet, we celebrate the pastor who has a clean record and a clean look, but yet he is still doing the same thing that the same gender loving people are doing. I believe that there’s holy ghost- filled fire baptized gay people.”

9/13/09-by Paula Brooks
Several record companies have sued daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres for using copyrighted music without their permission.

The suit filed in a federal court in Nashville last week on behalf of Arista Music, Atlantic Recording Corp., Capitol Records, Motown Record Company, Sony Music Entertainment, Virgin Records America and Warner Bros. Records, claims DeGeneres and her producers violated their copyrights by playing more than 1,000 songs without permission during the “dance over” segments of the show.

The suit says the daytime talk show has used the copyrighted music without permission since its inception, including “recordings by virtually every major current artist of popular music” and says the show routinely used some of the most popular songs of the day, which the record labels don’t license for daytime television at any price.

The lawsuit also called the segment and the music played by the show’s own disc jockey “signature elements of the show.”

Court papers also state that when representatives of the recording companies asked the defendants why they hadn’t obtained licenses to use the songs, the defendants said they didn’t “roll that way.”

“As sophisticated consumers of music, Defendants knew full well that, regardless of the way they rolled, under the Copyright Act, and under state law for the pre-1972 recordings, they needed a license to use the sound recordings lawfully,” the suit states.

A statement issued last week by Scott Rowe, spokesman for the DeGeneres ’s Telepictures Productions, said that the company has been working with the record labels for months to resolve the issue and remains willing to resolve it on “amicable and reasonable terms.”

The record company suit does not specify the dollar amount it seeks in damages… yet.

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8/19/09-by Paula Brooks
When The Golden Girls, Beatrice Arthur died last April the world lost one of its most talented stars and the LGBT community lost a good friend.

Next month she will be honored for her work helping homeless LGBT youth.

Homelessness is a out of control among LGBT youth, with as many as 25% of LGBT teens who come out finding themselves rejected by their families. Many end up on the streets. According to the National Runaway Switchboard, the likelihood of being a victim of crime increases sevenfold just by virtue of identifying as LGBT. Many of these kids turn to drugs and prostitution as a means of survival.

But Bea Arthur did her part to help some of those kids… both as a donor and as an advocate for homeless LGBT youth, working with the Ali Forney Center, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth.

Founded in 2002, the Ali Forney Center provides homeless LGBT youths, age 16-24, with the services they need to get off the streets and makes available free medical care, HIV testing, mental health services, showers, food, computer access, and job training  so these kids can become independent.

“I’m very, very involved in charities involving youth and the plight of foster children. But these kids at the Ali Forney Center are literally dumped by their families because of the fact that they are lesbian, gay, or transgender – this organization really is saving lives.” Ms. Arthur once said.

In 2005 Bea flew to New York City from her home in Los Angeles in order to give a special benefit performance of her one-woman show that ended up raising over $40,000 for the AFC.

In one of her very last interviews, published in the New York Blade, Bea spoke with pride of having done the benefit, and indicated that she would do anything to help gay kids disowned by their parents.

In honor of her selfless dedication, the Ali Forney Center has announced it will be naming one of their New York City residences for her at memorial service to be held by AFC in celebration her life on September 14th at the Majestic Theater in New York City.

“Bea Arthur was tremendously kind and generous to the Ali Forney Center” says Carl Siciliano, AFC Founder and Executive Director. “The caring and concern that Bea expressed for our kids meant the world to us, and we are thrilled to be able to give honor to her memory in this way”.

Thank you for being a friend Bea…

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8/18/09-by Paula Brooks
Appearing with the Today shows Matt Lauer, Richard Hatch, America’s first broadcast-TV reality show star, says after spending nearly four years in prison for tax evasion he is broke and still under house arrest, but he is still unapologetic.

He also insisted he was made a victim because he is openly gay.

Hatch who was both loved and hated by viewers because of his arrogance and scheming … and because he spent most of the show naked, was the winner of the first “Survivor” series in 2000.

Hatch was sentenced in 2006 to spend 51 months at a Federal Correctional Institution in Morgantown, W.Va., for failing to pay taxes on his winning from that show.

Insisting he was made a victim because of his open homosexuality and maintaining that CBS, which produced and promised to pay the taxes on the $1 million he won on the show, as well as on other money he made from radio appearances. Since his trial, Hatch has said the show was rigged and claims his attorney’s told a judge outside the presence of the jury that Hatch did not pay income taxes on his $1 million prize because he caught producers sneaking food to other contestants. When Hatch confronted them about the cheating, show officials offered to pay his incomes taxes if he won.

Hatch also think the prosecutor may have had an anti gay agenda, “I know without question that there are personal issues involved for the prosecutor. I don’t know why. The prosecutorial misconduct has been egregious,” Hatch said. “He told the court I didn’t pay my taxes in 2000, and he told the court I haven’t been cooperative. The IRS specifically contradicts that. I don’t have a bill for 2000. I haven’t even been assessed for 2000. And I’ve been fully cooperative,” Hatch said.

But Hatch also said he will pay whatever taxes he owes when he gets a bill from the IRS.

See full interveiw

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OURsceneTV got celebrities to kiss and tell about their first same-sex smooches once before, and we’ve done it again!

Tim Gunn dishes on the best kiss of his life. Mary Louise Parker talks about her college kisses as a free-spirited drama major and Eve spills it about her own lesbian moment. Catch that and the other surprising stories the stars have to tell about their first gay and lesbian kisses.

According to the NY post, Queen Latifah was seen partying it up with gal pals at a lesbian nightclub last week in NYC.

The article says:

“The rapper-turned-actress recently sashayed with five stunning women into Country Club’s weekly Wednesday night lesbian party, “Eden,” on West 14th Street. She chilled for several hours, ordering bottle service for her friends and chatting up promoter Maggie Collier.”

The Post goes on to say:

Latifah has always declined to discuss her sexuality and told the Times last year, “I don’t care if people think I’m gay or not.”

You can find out more about Queen Latifah from her website at www.queenlatifah.com or find her newest single “Cue the Rain” on iTunes.

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Planning a wedding can be hell… but planning to ruin a wedding can be a hell of a lot of fun!

Big Apple Lesbian Socialites and LGR Contributors Gurlz Action in NYC are reporting that Scott Evans of ABC’s daytime soap “One Life to Live” Dina Manzo of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and Anthony Wilkinson are celebrating the revival of the 2003 comedic play “My Big Gay Italian Wedding.”

Evans and Wilkinson co-star in the production that will premiere on Saturday, Sept. 12th 2009 at 8:00 PM at the St. George Theatre in Staten Island, NY.

The plot of My Big Gay Italian Wedding revolves around the central character, Anthony Pinnunziato, a gay Italian-American from a large, closely knit Italian-American family.

Photo credit Vijay Uttam

Anthony’s family tries to join their traditional values with his gay lifestyle resulting in a funny, touching and entertaining big Italian wedding.

The cast of characters will include bickering lesbians, an overbearing matriarch, a crazed wedding coordinator and a jealous ex-boyfriend who wants nothing more than to ruin the whole thing, that are sure to leave the audience laughing, crying and having a great time!

The cast will also feature Brett Douglas, Randi Kaplan, Concetta Nichilo, Laura Gaspari, Carla-Marie Mercun, Joe Grimaldi, Liz Gerecitano, Erik Ransom, Diana Limon, Chad Kessler, Kevin McIntyre, Philip Brock, and Dan Hicks.

Sonia Blangiardo and Teresa Anne Cicala will direct.

Folks who have seen this play before say it is The Bird Cage meet the Sopranos.

A portion of the proceeds from the production will be donated to the Lustgarten Foundation for pancreatic research.

For more details visit the plays Facebook page or The St George Theatres Site

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Former Miss California and darling of the Social Conservatives Carrie Prejean has a book deal. The deal to write her life’s story is being driven by, of course, a Conservative publishing house which has put out books by Newt Gingrich and about how global warming isn’t happening despite the fact that the growing season in Vermont is longer than it use to be. Unfortunately, any commentary revolving around this from LGR could not match what was said on 22 July by Kent Jones, the culture guy on the Rachel Maddow Show.

Of course, viewers can always catch Dr. Rachel Maddow on the air at 9pm and 11pm Eastern Time, or at MSNBC.com

'Marcia Brazil' and 'Brandy M'

Marcia Brazil, a reality show contestant on VH1’s Rock of Love and currently Ricki Lake’s Charm School, was seen this weekend at the Spearmint Rhino gentleman’s club in Southern California, baring her breasts on stage.

According to our source, Marcia was at the gentleman’s club for a promotional event when she was encouraged onto the stage by the club’s DJ. When he said the words “take it off”, according to our source Marcia Brazil made a gesture with her hand asking for money. Someone threw a handful of bills into the air showering her with the bills, yet she didn’t see them and grabbed the microphone to address the crowd.

She told the crowd she’s never shown her breasts in public and if they wanted to see “they would have to pay”.

Someone else showered her with bills, and again she didn’t see this. She went on to say that her breasts were “all natural”, at which point another woman told her to look on the ground and when she saw the money laying there she then lifted her top completely.

Marcia Brazil has been on promotional events at gentleman’s clubs before, and there have been no prior reports of her ever going topless.

LezGetReal was unable to confirm whether Marcia Brazil was actually doing a promotional event at the time of the display, or whether she was at Spearmint Rhino that night simply to enjoy the show. There are still a few episodes of Ricki Lake’s Charm School left, and it is not clear how this weekend’s public display will affect her relationship with the show or VH1.

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Danica Patrick made history today when she finished third in the Indianapolis 500. She broke her own record for highest finish by a woman which she had previously held with a fourth place finish.

Danica started the day in 10th position. She drove a very smart race and her put crew did an excellent job helping her move up spots throughout the race. Danica has been criticized in the past in the male dominated sport for confronting other racers when they would cause her to be in an accident. The funny thing is that is exactly what the men were doing to each other in today’s race. The guys are just going to need to learn how to deal with this tough chick who is here to stay and not afraid to call them out when they screw up.

Patrick was not the only female driver in the race today. Sarah Fisher and Milka Duno were also in the race. Fisher who started 21st had a great day finishing 17th, her best finish at Indy. Duno started 30th and finished 20th on the day.

Sarah Fisher

Milka Duno

Besides the all the excitement during the race you couldn’t help but notice all the coverage Danica gets off the track. She is a major part of GoDaddy.com’s advertising campaign. Started with the Super Bowl they have done teasers that lead to what appears to be some risque behavior. The rest of the commercial can be seen at godaddy.com . Today’s new comercial was just as sexist but I must say somewhat entertaining as usual.

Ok, I know we are all getting tired of the saga of Miss California, but we have to do just one more….

The daring defender of “opposite marriage” Carrie Prejean, who told judges and a television audience of bazillions…

“You know what… in my country, in my family, I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there”

(thereby taking the marriage equality debate to a surreal level never seen before) may have one more skeleton rattling around in her closet… closet being the operative word here.

Star Magazine is reporting that Miss California USA’s mother,
Francine Coppola, had a long term lesbian relationship with Valerie Vetrano… who is telling the Star… “Yes, Francine and I dated.”

In court papers from 1996 divorce from Carrie’s father, Wil Prejean,
both parties made gay accusations against each other….

According to a friend, Francine’s family knew nothing of her affair.

Says the source, “Francine explained how she was a Christian and that her loved ones would never accept her if she were gay.” When Valerie asked her what would happen if she told her daughter Carrie about the two of them, Francine responded, “Carrie would never believe it!”

Adds the friend, “Valerie feels that if Francine had just been open about her sexuality with her family, Carrie would have a better understanding of what gay people have to go through. They just want equal rights.”

In response to yesterday’s announcement by Donald Trump that Carrie Prejean will keep her crown because “she’s beautiful” and “this is a beauty contest”, Director of the Miss California USA pageant Shanna Moakler has issued a statement today where she effectively resigned her position with the pageant.

“Since the press conference yesterday, I had a chance to think about what has taken place, and I feel that at this time it is in my best interest to resign from the Miss California USA organization,” Moakler tells Us Magazine in an exclusive interview.

“I cannot with a clear conscious move forward supporting and promoting the Miss Universe Organization when I no longer believe in it, or the contracts I signed committing myself as a youth,” she continues.

“I want to be a role model for young woman with high hopes of pageantry, but now feel it more important to be a role model for my children. I am sorry and hope I have not let any young supporters down but wish them the best of luck in fulfilling their dreams.”

Sources inside the Trump Organization however say that Donald Trump asked for Moakler’s resignation specifically and thus it was not voluntary.

At this point we can only speculate as to the reason why her resignation was requested. Moakler has been very vocal in the recent controversy surrounding the Miss USA pagaent and Carrie Prejean, and though Moakler is not under the same obligations as Carrie Prejean, Moakler participated in a print ad against Proposition 8 and also has semi-nude photos in her past.

It is unclear exactly what her obligations are to the Miss California USA pageant under contract; yet severing her responsibilities with the pageant is a bold move for the Trump Organization since Moakler is a powerful asset as a pop culture icon that many women look up to.

She has not as of yet posted anything about the situation to her blog on MySpace, but regardless of the reasons surrounding her resignation, it will be interesting to see what her next platform will be. We here at LezGetReal wish her all the best as she moves forward and we’ll be keeping our eyes on Shanna Moakler as one of the next big voices in the fight for Marriage Equality.

Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her by visiting her page on MySpace.

Celesbian couple Ellen DeGeneres and Portia DeRossi have recently been named the “Most Desired Celebrity Babysitter” by ParentDish.com:

In honor of Mother’s Day, we asked you to weigh in on your favorite celeb mommies, tell us who you think are the worst parents out there and share some of your favorite Mother’s Day traditions. We received over 10,000 votes!

Here’s what you thought:

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi were the celebs you’d trust your kids with most. And surprisingly the winner of this round of Jennifer vs. Brangelina goes to Aniston. You’d rather have Jen take care of your little ones than the parents of six.

You can read all of the results at ParentDish.com.

Donald Trump just announced that Carrie Prejean will remain as Miss California USA.

He claimed that though the Miss California USA organization has done a great job, there has been simple mis-communication in regards to the recent situation with Carrie Prejean.

Prejean made a statement as well where she thanked Donald Trump, The Miss California USA and Miss USA organizations, as well as her fans and parents.

She also thanked her sister and God for giving her the strength to stand by her beliefs. She went on to say that she was asked a ‘politically charged question with hidden personal agenda’ and felt that she carefully articulated that she did not mean to offend anyone. She also mentioned that the President of our country and the Secretary of State agree with her in her beliefs that marriage should be between one man and one woman.

She claimed have remained silent since the pageant and was honored to be able to speak at the conference and “let her voice be heard”.

She went on for several minutes and then answered questions from the press at which point Donald Trump mentioned that “Judge #8″ gave Prejean “very low marks” in regards to her score implying that it affected the outcome of the contest. Miss California USA spokesperson Shanna Moakler is interested in working together and getting Carrie Prejean back to work on being Miss California.

Prejeans parents were also present, though there was no discussion of the homophobic rumors recently surrounding them.

Also discussed were a new set of semi-nude photos recently revealed showing Prejean’s breasts. Prejean was adamant that she did not recall “every single photo shoot” she had ever done. Prejean says she forgives Perez Hilton, and Donald Trump says he was “just doing his thing.”

Prejean says she is not working for the National Organization for Marriage and only spent about an hour with them.

Keith Lewis said they were not on the same page before but they are now on the same page and focused on moving the brand forward. Trump also focused on the fact that Prejean is beautiful and this is a beauty contest.

MEANWHILE: TMZ.com has the REST OF THE CARRIE PREJEAN PHOTOS!

and some good commentary:

Carrie Prejean Keeps Miss California Crown, Loses Remaining Credibility

In Beverly Hills today, a press conference was held with Miss California USA pageant officials Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler to discuss the future of the Miss California USA brand and Carrie Prejean.

Lewis started the news conference by saying that Carrie Prejean did not lose the Miss USA pageant because of her answer to Perez Hilton’s question about gay marriage. Lewis noted that Prejean scored third in the swimsuit category, and second in evening gown; and that her answer to Hilton’s question “didn’t provide anough edge to win.” Lewis went on to say that they do not condone the attacks on Prejean and that the scrutiny she has been subjected to is unfair.

Shanna Moakler included that Carrie Prejean’s semi-nude photo’s were not the issue, rather the non-disclosure of the existence of the photos when she entered the pageant in the first place.

Moakler stated that Prejean, like all pageant contestants, was given document asking for full disclosure which is not cause for dismissal but which does determine eligibility. Moaklers stated that because Prejean did not fully disclose everything in her application she entered the pagaent under false pretenses.

Moakler went on to mention that Prejean has conducted appearances and other projects such as a recent telemarkting message “for marriage” while missing appearances and making herself unavailable to the Miss California USA project.

Keith Lewis made a powerful statement addressing those organizations and then Maggie Gallagher directly. He said to them:

Shame. Shame. Shame. Shame.

Here is the video from the first portion of the conference:

Lewis shamed them for taking advantage of Prejean and exploiting her to further their agenda, while putting her into a firestorm unprepared and positioning her to lose her crown.

They went on to show the new Miss California USA campaign “I Believe” PSA which was put together without Prejean last week to re-focus and rebuild the brand.

Here is that video:

After showing the PSA, Miss California USA runner-up Tami Farrell was announced as the Beauty California Ambassador and appointed as the Miss California “alternate”.

Lewis and Moakler answered questions for the press stating that Farrell was appointed as an alternate in cases where current Miss California Carrie Prejean is not available to fulfill her duties. Lewis confirmed that Donald Trump will make the ultimate decision as to whether Prejean will keep the crown or not, yet would not say whether he felt she should be asked to give it up or not. Lewis says that Miss California USA will stand by Trump’s decision either way. Lewis confirmed that Tami Farell would in fact replace Carrie Prejean if forced to give up her crown.

Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her by visiting her page on MySpace.

Rihanna’s name is the latest trending search topic, as she has experienced another “leak”.

Photos of a nude Rihanna, surfaced on the web Friday afternoon causing a frenzy and the removal of her alleged twitter account. The authenticity of the photographs have yet to be verified by any reliable sources.

Rihanna is confirmed in photos that show her actual face. Nude photos don’t actually include identifiers (tattoos, face).

The Ri Ri leak happened suspiciously close to the leak of similar photos of lesser known Diddy protege Cassie Ventura. Cassie responded to photos on her twitter, saying that it was evil for someone to “hack” into her laptop. Later, more revealing photos were leaked,of Cassie fully nude.

It’s being speculated that the photos of Rihanna were leaked to take the heat off of R & B newbie, Cassie. Chris Brown was in one of the Rihanna photos, with what was said to be her undergarments, casually thrown about his head. No word of how the Rihanna photos came about. I have seen them, but I I’m not at liberty to link them. Due to the sensitive nature of the subject, I choose to respect both parties by not adding to the negativity of the situation.

Perez Hilton and Maggie Gallagher have been in a “YouTube Pissing Match” lately and now we get to see them on the split screen:

]]> http://lezgetreal.com/?feed=rss2&p=12299 2 http://lezgetreal.com/?p=12273 http://lezgetreal.com/?p=12273#comments Thu, 07 May 2009 14:00:51 +0000 ~Julie Phineas~ http://lezgetreal.com/?p=12273

Along with the likes of Barack Obama, Suze Orman, and “The Twitter Guys”, you’ll find the likes of Rick Warren, Bernie Madoff, and Sarah Palin on the 2009 list of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world.

Here is a video from the red carpet of the gala event where Michelle Obama opened the 2009 celebration:

Others who made the list include Edward Kennedy, John Legend, Ted Turner, Brad Pitt, Stella MacCartney, and The View. For the entire list visit the Time 100 here.

]]> http://lezgetreal.com/?feed=rss2&p=12273 0 http://lezgetreal.com/?p=12231 http://lezgetreal.com/?p=12231#comments Thu, 07 May 2009 02:00:09 +0000 ~Julie Phineas~ http://lezgetreal.com/?p=12231

Famous lesbians Cynthia Nixon and Rosie O’Donnell were each separately quoted on their take of the Miss California Carrie Prejean controversy:

“Maybe some of the things she said were a little awkward, but I think she expressed a feeling that a lot of people have. I feel badly for beauty contestants who are put on the spot like that!” —Cynthia Nixon

“I’ve never heard it expressed that way. She said, ‘In America, you have the choice between same sex marriage and opposite sex marriage,’ like it was a flavor at Baskin-Robbins. You can have rocky road or mint chocolate chip.” —Rosie O’Donnell

(Found via Queerty)

In her first public appearance since having been assaulted by then boyfriend Chris Brown, singer Rihanna chose to wear a somewhat masculine Dolce & Gabbana suit to the event, adding fuel to the rumors that she is a lesbian.

Her last known appearance was recently on the island of Barbados where she vacationed with singer friend Katy Perry, which sparked rumors of a lesbian relationship between the two women, though no such relationship has ever been confirmed. Rihanna has been the target of a handful of rumors surrounding her sexuality, and now her choice of outfits at the 2009 MET Costume Institute Gala in NY has raised some eyebrows as well. Her outfit had puffed sleeves, cropped pants, and a black bowtie; plus her hair had streaks of blond and was slicked to one side.

Here is a video slideshow with pictures of Rihanna at the event:

Rihanna did not speak to any media at the event, and was the last celebrity to walk the red carpet.

READER POLL:

-Do you think her choice of outfits has anything to do with her sexuality?
-Do you think Rihanna is a lesbian?
-Does it matter to you whether she is a lesbian or not?

Thank you for reading and leaving a comment. Be sure to subscribe to keep updated on the latest!

Oprah talked about marriage equality on her show this past Friday.

Here is the YouTube video:

I am glad to see Oprah becoming more vocal on the topic. I wish she had been more vocal about Prop. 8 before it was passed. Hopefully her participation in highlighting the topic now will have some affect on the Obama administration and the future of LGBT rights.

OneMillionMoms.com, an anti-gay website brought to us by the American Family Association, has issued an action alert against tween sensation Miley Cyrus because she sent out a Twitter message in support of marriage equality.

For those who don’t know, the OneMillionMoms.com project is essentially a newsletter which asks those who sign up to take action against those person’s or establishments who show support for pro-gay initiatives. The website sends out messages to their subscribers, and offer a tell-a-friend feature for those messages as well.

The latest message sent out by the site is an action alert against the daughter of country music icon Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, who is popular for her role as Hannah Montana on the hit Disney show of the same name. The younger Cyrus has had her fair share of media attention lately, but most recently grabbed headlines by showing support for marriage equality via Twitter to infamous blogger Perez Hilton. The tweet was prompted by a controversial answer to a question about gay marriage by Miss California Carrie Prejean at the 2009 Miss USA Pageant.

Perez Hilton asked celebrities for their thoughts on the topic via the popular micro-blogging website, Twitter, to which Miley Cyrus replied.

Here is the action alert which resulted, issued by OneMillionMoms.com:

Miley Cyrus said what?

“Hannah Montana” star Miley Cyrus recently made statements supporting gay marriage.

Her comments were in response to a question posed to Miss California Carrie Prejean in the April 19 Miss USA Pageant. Homosexual celeblogger Perez Hilton was the pageant judge who asked Prejean her opinion of same-sex marriage, to which she responded that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Outraged by her response, Hilton began blasting the beauty queen and asked for celebrities to share their thoughts on gay marriage.

Miley Cyrus responded to Hilton through her Twitter.com account with the following comments:

• “Everyone deserves to love and be loved and most importantly smile.”
• “Jesus loves you and your partner and wants you to know how much he cares! That’s like a daddy not loving his lil boy cuz he’s gay and that is wrong and very sad!
• “Like I said everyone deserves to be happy.”
• “God’s greatest commandment is to love. And judging is not loving.”
• “I am a Christian and I love you – gay or not – because you are no different than anyone else! We are all God’s children.”

Such statements will send the wrong message to our children who are influenced by this teenage megastar. Parents need to realize that Cyrus is not the positive role model she was once thought to be.

Take Action

Send Miley Cyrus a letter stating that you do not approve of her comments.

Clearly she is confused and does not understand the Bible. Please pray for the Lord to open her eyes to the truth.

Check out the articles below for a better understanding of this controversial issue.

“Natural law” approach to the issue of same-sex marriage
A Biblical approach to the issue of same-sex marriage

Their sister site OneMillionDads.com, seems to mirror the action alerts on OneMillionMoms.com, yet have not posted an action alert against Miss Cyrus as of yet.

In an interview with SheWired.com Kelley McGillis announced that for her next relationship it will definitely be with a woman. McGillis said when it comes to dating men, “I’m done with that, and needs to move on in life, and that’s another part of being true to yourself.” McGillis has said that coming to terms with her sexuality has been challenging for her personally and has been an ongoing process since she was about 12.

Most people will remember McGillis, who is 51 now, for her role as Tom Cruise’s love interest in the blockbuster Top Gun. More recently McGillis played a closeted lesbian Army Colonel in a story dealing with Don’t Ask Don’t Tell on the L Word.

McGillis added that “life is a freaking journey, and it’s about growing and changing, and coming to terms with who and what you are, and loving who and what you are.”

You can see the video of the entire interview here.

I just read on The Celebrity Truth that US Magazine interviewed Shanna Moakler – the director of the Miss California USA pageant – about the fact that she is appearing in a new ad in support of gay rights.

Moakler shot a print ad “slamming” Proposition 8, with two former Miss California contestants, Raquel Beezley and Tamiko Nash.

“I believe Prop 8 lead a campaign of confusion and never made clear what was being asked of the people,” Moakler said in an exclusive statement to US Magazine. “I find most people have a problem with the word marriage. What I hope for is helping others understand ‘civil union’ and then one day helping people learn ‘marriage’ is something not God, not the state or country can solidify, but between two people who love each other.”

Moakler also mentioned to US Mag that although Carrie Prejean has said she lost the Miss USA crown because of her anti-gay marriage answer, Moakler believes that it was because Prejean “wasn’t able to convey compassion for ALL the people that, as MISS USA, she would be representing.”

Moakler was also recently quoted as saying that protesting against Prop. 8 is “wicked awesome”.