Friday 29 June 2012

Gary Lamont tells of his heartbreak over the knife death of friend

[Source]

By Marion Scott | 29 Jan 2012 00:00

Scots actor Gary Lamont tells of his heartbreak over the knife death of friend

EXCLUSIVE: RIVER City star Gary Lamont has revealed his heartbreak after a childhood friend was killed in a knife attack.


RIVER City star Gary Lamont has revealed his heartbreak after a childhood friend was killed in a knife attack.

Gary, 26, who plays River City hairdresser Robbie Fraser, said his friend PJ Douglass was like a brother.

The actor said: “We grew up together. We spent holidays and Christmases together – his mum was like my mum.

“I can’t come to terms with the fact PJ won’t achieve his dreams, he won’t live out his life and I won’t see him again.”

PJ, 20, from East Kilbride, was killed after being stabbed during a row with a friend’s neighbour on April 29, the day of the Royal Wedding.

John Steele, 33, who had previous convictions for drugs, offensive weapons and violence, walked free from the High Court in Glasgow days before Christmas after being found not guilty of PJ’s murder and claiming self-defence.

Senior advocate depute Jennifer Bain told the court Steele had attacked PJ after a fracas in the entry outside his home.
Gary said: “When I heard the verdict, I was stunned. PJ was like my little brother. Our mothers are best friends. We were one big happy family together.

“You read about knife crime all the time but, when it happens to someone you know, it’s surreal. I don’t think I’ll ever come to terms with this.

“PJ was so proud of me becoming an actor and I was so proud of his achievements.

“The hardest thing I’ve had to do in my life was stand up at his funeral and say my goodbyes. I called on all my training as an actor but, even then, my heart was breaking inside.

“I can only hope PJ’s death will show other kids what can happen, how dangerous knives are.

“When you’re young, you think you are invincible and nothing can touch you. But look at PJ and all the broken hearts he leaves behind.”

Gary and PJ were both members of the Jeely Piece Club in Castlemilk, Glasgow. The organisation was set up by ordinary mums 36 years ago to keep kids safe, giving them somewhere to go in one of the toughest housing schemes in Scotland.

Over two decades, PJ’s mum Maureen, 53, and Gary’s mum Grace, also 53, reached out to thousands of kids.

Gary said: “We were all proud to be Jeely Piece kids. Maureen helped so many kids.”

When he was just 16, PJ was such a promising chef that he was picked to cook for JK Rowling and former First Minister Jack McConnell.

Maureen said: “That was one of the proudest moments of his life.”
Hundreds joined Maureen on a march against knife crime after PJ became the 14th person to die in a year in South Lanarkshire as the mum-of-two struggled through her own grief to appeal for no further violence.

She said: “I was very aware PJ’s friends and the community as a whole were deeply upset by what had happened.

“If other kids can learn about the dangers of knife crime by hearing what happened to PJ, that’s the legacy I want for him.”

Maureen and other concerned parents have started an organisation called Communities United to Promoting Inclusion in East Kilbride.

She is determined to petition the Lord Advocate and the Justice Secretary to consider culpable homicide charges against Steele, who admitted delivering wraps of heroin just before PJ was killed.

Maureen said: “Witness after witness told the court Steele stabbed PJ with a sword. I want him taken back to court and tried for culpable homicide.”

Thursday 28 June 2012

Eric Millegan ‏got married


Congratulations!!

Matt Bomer Gives Serious Face in 'Magic Mike'

[Source]

Matt Bomer Gives Serious Face in 'Magic Mike'

6.28.2012
By Jerry Portwood

The out gay actor says he doesn't want to be called a 'gay' actor

Matt Bomer may not have that many lines in Magic Mike (although he does clock a few more than his college pal Joe Manganiello, who plays Big Dick Ritchie), but he gives some serious attitude in his silly get-ups. At one point he's dressed as a Richard Gere-esque Navy dude a la Officer and a Gentleman. Then, in another scene, he dons some doctor duds to hump a gal on a gurney. As he recently explained to Marc Malkin over at E! Online about that scene, Channing [Tatum] told me, 'You have to use the stretcher and just get up on this girl and grind your junk in her face. But this girl was not going to just sit there and be ground upon. She started licking me in all kinds of special places and we just kept going…It was one of those situations where you were in an environment where moral parameters are not the same as they are if you're doing a political drama. You just sort of have to say yes to everything and embrace it."

Bomer came out quietly in a speech earlier this year and has two children with his longtime partner, Hollywood publicist (and No. 46 on Out's Power List) Simon Halls. And since then hasn't really spoken much about being gay. He explains to Malkin, "I never really endeavored to hide anything," and he goes on to explain that, "What we really have to do is stop the adjective before the job title—whether it's 'black actor,' a 'gay actor' or 'anything actor.' Everybody thinks that equality comes from identifying people, and that's not where equality comes from. Equality comes from treating everybody the same regardless of who they are. I hope the media and the press catches on to that because it's time to move out of 1992."

But Bomer does seem to be aware of the importance of actors being out of the closet. As he tells Malkin: "I had somebody from the military approach me a few weeks ago just saying how this helps people, affects people. It brought me to tears."

Tuesday 26 June 2012

Announcing the 2012 AfterElton Hot 100!

[Source]

Posted by AfterElton.com Staff on June 26, 2012

Prepare yourselves for the 100 hottest men on Earth!

This year in our sixth annual Hot 100 reader poll, over ninety thousand votes were cast by our readers for over fifteen hundred different men. We tallied the votes and ranked the top 100 vote-getters.

Given our readership of gay men and their friends, it's no surprise that gay or bi guys are well-represented on this year's Hot 100 (roughly 20%). And many of the straight folks who made the cut have either played compelling gay roles before, or have spoken up in support of marriage equality and GLBT rights. Our diverse list includes actors, musicians, politicians, and athletes. And we're thrilled to note that men of color are better represented than they have been in previous years.

Will last year's winner Darren Criss pull off a repeat? What up and coming hot celebrities made the cut for the first time? All will be revealed in the galleries below. Click on the magnifying glass to enter the full-size lightbox to scroll through the results.

1. Darren Criss
2. Chris Colfer
3. Matt Bomer
4. Jared Padalecki
5. Neil Patrick Harris
6. Jensen Ackles
7. Chris Evans
8. John Barrowman
9. Harry Shum Jr.
10. Adam Lambert
11. Ryan Gosling
12. Chris Hemsworth
13. Ricky Martin
14. Grant Gustin
15. Gale Harold
16. Anderson Cooper
17. Zachary Quinto
18. Thore Schölermann
19. Zac Efron
20. Benedict Cumberbatch
21. Jo Weil
22. Tom Hiddleston
23. Chord Overstreet
24. Josh Hutcherson
25. David Burtka
26. Jake Gyllenhaal
27. Ian Somerhalder
28. Cheyenne Jackson
29. Luke Macfarlane
30. Misha Collins
31. Henry Cavill
32. Channing Tatum
33. David Tennant
34. Michael Fassbender
35. Max Adler
36. Robert Downey Jr.
37. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
38. Alexander Skarsgård
39. Russell Tovey
40. Nathan Fillion
41. Jonathan Groff
42. Adam Levine
43. Ryan Reynolds
44. Cory Monteith
45. Johnny Depp
46. Hugh Jackman
47. Daniel Radcliffe
48. Joe Manganiello
49. Mark Salling
50. Ben Cohen
51. Jeremy Renner
52. Matthew Mitcham
53. Chandler Massey
54. Chris Pine
55. Dan Feuerriegel
56. Ewan McGregor
57. Matt Smith
58. Gareth Thomas
59. Eddie McClintock
60. Eli Lieb
61. Taylor Lautner
62. Tom Hardy
63. Colton Haynes
64. Andrew Garfield
65. Sean Maher
66. Trevor Donovan
67. James Franco
68. James Duke Mason
69. Jared Leto
70. Bradley Cooper
71. Karl Urban
72. Van Hansis
73. Jake Shears
74. Shemar Moore
75. Matthew Morrison
76. Ryan Kwanten
77. Chace Crawford
78. Charlie Williams
79. Brad Pitt
80. Justin Bartha
81. Eric Sheffer Stevens
82. Kris Allen
83. Alex O'Loughlin
84. Kit Harington
85. Paul Wesley
86. James McAvoy
87. Adam Pally
88. James Marsden
89. President Barack Obama
90. Max Greenfield
91. Joel-McHale
92. Idris Elba
93. Tom Ford
94. Damon Wayans Jr
95. Wilson Cruz
96. Dylan O'Brien
97. Alex Pettyfer
98. Jon Hamm
99. Alan Ritchson
100. Joshua Bowman

AfterElton Hot 100

Announcing the 2012 AfterElton Hot 100!

Posted by AfterElton.com Staff on June 26, 2012


Glee's Jesse St. James is an out, lovable hunk who we'll always cherish for originating the role of Melchior Gabor in Spring Awakening.


Forget Team Jacob-- when it comes to supporting seductive werewolves, we're Team George all the way and superfans of Being Human.

Follow him on Twitter @russelltovey


He came out this year as a matter of conscience, showing other celebs exactly how it's done. We loved his stint on American Horror Story and adored him in the underrated Margin Call. Look for him in 2013 in the Star Trek sequel.

Follow him on Twitter @ZacharyQuinto


16. Anderson Cooper
He swore up a storm on Kathy Griffin's couch, giggled like the cutest little silver fox of all time on AC360, and even fronted his own talk show this year. Oh Anderson, we certainly see a lot of you-- and yet, wish we knew you better.

Follow him on Twitter @andersoncooper


15. Gale Harold
The onetime Queer as Folk super-stud has kept busy in recent years with Desperate Housewives, Hellcats, and most recently The Secret Circle. But he'll always be Brian Kinney to us!
His sophomore release Trespassing went #1. The out-and-proud star continues to be our American Idol!

Follow him on Twitter at @adamlambert


The out alum of Torchwood, Desperate Housewives, and Doctor Who is a perennial Hot 100 achiever. He also finished second in our Gay/Bi Men of the Decade poll. Still impressive!


From the Tonys, to Barney Stinson, to raising babies, NPH is a whip-smart, super-hot homosexual for the ages.

On Twitter at @ActuallyNPH


2. Chris Colfer
Glee's brightest light expands his resume this year with Struck by Lightning and a soon to be released children's book. He's our overachieving, gay boy wonder, and we expect big things from him in the future.

Follow him on Twitter at @chriscolfer

AfterElton Hot 100 - Matt Bomer #3

[Source]

Announcing the 2012 AfterElton Hot 100!

Posted by AfterElton.com Staff on June 26, 2012


IMAGE 49 of 51 
3. Matt Bomer

The White Collar scorcher could've just been a cable pin-up, but he insists on revealing more of himself in the upcoming stripper feature Magic Mike. Poor us!

Monday 25 June 2012

Magic Mike's Matt Bomer Talks About Being Out as Gay: What Brought Him to Tears?

[Source]

News/ Magic Mike's Matt Bomer Talks About Being Out as Gay: What Brought Him to Tears?

by Marc Malkin                                                                            Mon., Jun. 25, 2012 6:00 PM PDT

VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images
Matt Bomer doesn't like talking about his private life.

And even if the White Collar star did publicly aknowledge he was gay earlier this year, he's not about to start spilling anytime soon.

"I never really endeavored to hide anything," Bomer, 34, told me this weekend while promoting his new movie, Magic Mike. "But there were times I chose not to relegate my history to the back page of a magazine, which to me is sort of akin to putting your biography on a bathroom wall."

Not that he dismisses the importance of being an out actor.

"I had somebody from the military approach me a few weeks ago just saying how this helps people, affects people," Bomer said. "It brought me to tears."

I go so far as to suggest that he could be saving young gay people's lives. "I hope so," he said. "They need saving, certainly in this day and age as much as ever—no matter how much we think we've progressed."

His coming out was as subtle as they come. Bomer simply thanked his longtime partner, Hollywood publicist Simon Halls, and their three children, Kit, Walker and Henry, when he was honored by the Desert AIDS Fund in Palm Springs in February.

"What we really have to do is stop the adjective before the job title—whether it's 'black actor,' a 'gay actor' or 'anything actor,'" Bomer said. "Everybody thinks that equality comes from identifying people, and that's not where equality comes from. Equality comes from treating everybody the same regardless of who they are. I hope the media and the press catches on to that because it's time to move out of 1992."

Bomer certainly dispels the notion that coming out will hurt an actor's career.

As you probably know by now, he's one of the many pieces of man candy actors in Magic Mike (out on Friday), director Steven Soderbergh's movie inspired by Channing Tatum's prefame days as a stripper. "When they called me, I thought, 'Do they have the wrong number? Did they mean to call the guy from Vampire Diaries?'" Bomer said, laughing. "And at the time I was really skinny so I think there may have been a five-minute window from when I hung up the phone to when I went to the gym." (FYI: He put on about 15 pounds for the role.)

One dance sequence shows him dressed as a doctor but stripping on top of an audience member who is laying on a gurney on the stage. "Channing told me, 'You have to use the stretcher and just get up on this girl and grind your junk in her face,'" Bomer remembered.

He did just that. "But this girl was not going to just sit there and be ground upon," Bomer said. "She started licking me in all kinds of special places and we just kept going…It was one of those situations where you were in an environment where moral parameters are not the same as they are if you're doing a political drama. You just sort of have to say yes to everything and embrace it."

Thankfully, Bomer said, his kids are too young for flick.

"But one day when they are old enough, they can watch it," he said. "I'll be able to say, 'Hey, your old man used to be in shape. He might not be anymore, but he used to be in shape. Now, go get me a beer.'"

Adam talks about being a gay pop star and...

[Source]

Watch! Adam Lambert On Being A Gay Pop Star And (Former) Reluctant Role Model

Posted by snicks on June 25, 2012



Adam Lambert sat down with Billboard.com to discuss the whirlwind of the last few years, and his initial reluctance to embrace being a gay role model and voice:
"At the beginning I was a little bit like, 'I don't know what to say, I don't know how to be that role model,' even though all of a sudden people are telling me I am. One of the things I find very gratifying now is that I have grown a lot more comfortable with my position and I'm embracing the opportunity to be able to address this stuff through music."
Even though he's now settled in to his position, he's still vowing to make it on his own terms, even if it has its difficulties:
"In so many cases, I find myself saying, I wanna be the really nice down-to-earth guy who happens to be gay in order to set an example that it's not threatening. Then there's another part of me that's like, no I wanna be fierce and ... do whatever I want because I'm a rebel. I have that battle inside of me. I know a lot of people do."
Here's hoping the fierce wins out!

Patricia Wettig - The Normal Heart

Sunday 24 June 2012

Lafayette - S5E3




And... Roman - Christopher Meloni - True Blood S5E3

Zachary Quinto and Jonathan Groff are now sharing T-shirt

[Source]

It's getting serious! Zachary Quinto and Glee star Jonathan Groff are now sharing clothes as the step out in the same T-shirt

By Ann Pride

PUBLISHED:17:13 GMT, 24 June 2012 | UPDATED:08:19 GMT, 26 June 2012

They have reportedly been dating for about a year and it appears the romance between Star Trek actor Zachary Quinto and Glee star Jonathan Groff is getting serious.

Quinto, 35, and his 27-year-old boyfriend were spotted taking a romantic stroll yesterday in the West Village neighbourhood of New York City

Casually dressed in shorts, flip-flops and a chequered shirt, Quinto smiled while he chatted away with Jonathan.
Swapping clothes: Jonathan Groff was spotted wearing the same T-shirt on Saturday in New York City that his boyfriend Zachary Quinto donned on June 14


Rising star: Zachary just wrapped
production on the Star Trek sequel
Groff also appeared in a cheery mood and was spotted wearing the same striped T-shirt that Quinto wore nine days earlier.

Zachary was snapped in the shirt when he dropped off some dry cleaning on 14 June in New York City.

The two reportedly started dating sometime in 2011, and were frequently seen hanging out together in Los Angeles and New York, generating industry whispers that they two were a couple.

But they kept the relationship quiet until Quinto came out as an openly gay actor in October of last year.
Quinto, who played Mr. Spock in JJ Abrams' Star Trek, revealed his true sexuality in a profile in New York Magazine, following the tragic suicide of 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer.

Late last month, Zachary wrapped filming J.J. Abrams' yet-to-be-titled sequel to Star Trek.

Gleeful: The happy couple smiled as they strolled around New York yesterday
Passionate: The couple stopped and enjoyed a romantic moment

He tweeted: ''goodbye spock. it's been real,' sharing a picture of his shorn black hair on the salon floor.

Jonathan will next be seen in a theatre documentary called The Standbys, which premieres at the Seattle International Film Festival next month.

David Hyde Pierce, Bebe Neuwirth, and Cheyenne Jackson are also featured in the doc.

Friday 22 June 2012

Zachary Quinto and reported boyfriend Jonathan Groff dine out together

[Source]

A gleeful smile for his new beau? Zachary Quinto and reported boyfriend Jonathan Groff dine out together

By Cassie Carpenter

PUBLISHED:23:46 GMT, 22 June 2012 | UPDATED:23:46 GMT, 22 June 2012


They were first spotted having lunch together at the Mustard Seed Cafe in Los Feliz last February.

Now four months later, Zachary Quinto and his reported boyfriend Jonathan Groff were seen laughing and smiling as they strolled through New York's trendy West Village neighbourhood yesterday.

After the 35-year-old Star Trek star and Glee actor, 27, grabbed grub at Au Bon Pain, they conscientiously took turns holding their take-out bag.


Out and proud: Zachary Quinto and reported boyfriend Jonathan Groff were
spotted laughing and smiling together in New York's West Village yesterday

Unshaven Zachary tried to remain incognito in his camouflage baseball cap, which he paired with a blue striped T-shirt and coral jean cut-offs.

Meanwhile, Groff chatted on his cell phone while dressed in a very basic green T-shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers.

According to Perez Hilton, the rumoured couple attended the opening night of Shakespeare's As You Like It at Central Park's Delacorte Theater together later that same evening.


Are they or aren't they? This is the second time  the acting pair have grabbed
lunch together since February

Taking turns: The conscientious gentlemen took turns holding their Au Bon Pain
take-out bag

Zachary tweeted: 'as you like it. i like it. @susan_blackwell chose valencia for me…', sharing a picture of the view from his seat with his followers.

Following the play's afterparty, Hilton's source spotted the pair with their arms around each other seeming 'very happy and very hot' at the corner of 81st and Central Park West.

Jonathan first gained fame originating the role of Melchior Gabor in the stage musical Spring Awakening before appearing as Jesse St. James in the musical Fox series Glee.

In the park, after dark: After the rumoured couple attended Shakespeare's As You
Like It in Central Park, they were spotted seeming 'very happy and very hot'


The Margin Call star was once linked with Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson, while Jonathan used to date Gavin Creel, whom he co-starred with in the Tony-winning Hair revival.

In fact, Creel was there when Jonathan first decided to come out at The National Equality March in Washington, D.C. three years ago, declaring to a Broadway reporter that he was 'gay and proud.'

However, Zachary took his time to reveal his own sexuality last October following the tragic suicide of 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer.


First sighting: Last February, Zachary and Jonathan were spotted in LA
Hot new couple? The Glee star and Heroes star ate at the Mustard Seed Café
Quinto is savouring his spare time before the second season of American Horror Story begins filming.

Late last month, Zachary wrapped filming J.J. Abrams' yet-to-be-titled sequel to Star Trek.

He tweeted: ''goodbye spock. it's been real,' sharing a picture of his shorn black hair on the salon floor.

Done with Spock: After Zachary wrapped filming J.J. Abrams' yet-to-be-titled
sequel to Star Trek, Zachary marked the occasion with a refreshing haircut


Getting in character: Quinto reprises his fan-favourite character Mister Spock in
the sequel released May 17 of next year


Past pictures from the set have seen the half-Vulcan Mister Spock in fights scenes with a new villain played by Sherlock Holmes star Benedict Cumberbatch and being lowered on a wire wearing a 'volcano suit.'

The American Horror Story star did not grow up watching the series, so when Leonard Nimoy hand-picked Quinto to play Spock in the 2009 remake the two became fast friends.

Quinto, who had to bind his fingers with clear tape to train for the famous Vulcan greeting, shaved his thick eyebrows, cut his hair into a bowl cut, and wore Spock's iconic pointy ears to reprise the fan-favourite character in this sequel released May 17 of next year.

Logical role: The American Horror Story star did not grow up watching Star Trek,
but original Spock Leonard Nimoy hand-picked Quinto for the reboot


Also returning is Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk, Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura, and Simon Pegg as Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott.

Zachary will star alongside Topher Grace and Luke Wilson in a thriller called The Invitation, which will also be released next year.
Jonathan will next be seen in a theatre documentary called The Standbys, which premieres at the Seattle International Film Festival next month.

David Hyde Pierce, Bebe Neuwirth, and Cheyenne Jackson are also featured in the doc.


In tune: Jonathan appeared as Jesse St James in Glee alongside Lea Michele

Zachary Quinto: West Village Walk with Jonathan Groff!

[Source]

Fri, 22 June 2012 at 10:20 am

Zachary Quinto: West Village Walk with Jonathan Groff!

Zachary Quinto and his boyfriend Jonathan Groff share a smile as they make their way through New York City’s West Village neighborhood on Thursday (June 21).

Later that evening, the 35-year-old Star Trek actor and Jonathan, 27, caught the Shakespeare in the Park production of As You Like It.

“as you like it. i like it. @susan_blackwell chose valencia for me… ” Zachary tweeted.

As You Like It is playing at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park until June 30 – be sure to check it out if you are in the area!


Thursday 21 June 2012

Interview: Joe Manganiello

[Source]

The AfterElton Interview: Joe Manganiello
Posted by Jim Halterman, Entertainment Reporter on June 21, 2012


At a towering 6 ft, 5 inches of masculinity and muscle, Joe Manganiello stands out in a crowd. But he deserves to be known as much for his acting skills as he is for his pecs and abs, and he’s also cool with adoration from his gay fans. It’s a good thing that the 35-year old actor is so evolved, because with the fifth season of HBO’s True Blood currently airing and the big screen male stripper movie Magic Mike opening June 29th, he’s only going to be getting a lot of lustful attention as the summer unfolds.

AfterElton grabbed some time with the busy actor and found out some surprising things about him, including how it was working with his old college buddy, Matt Bomer, his aspirations outside of acting, his concerns about being typecast for his shirtlessness as well as the surprising skill he mastered at the ripe old age of six!

Joe Manganiello is more likely to cause a fire than put one out in Magic Mike

AfterElton: Let’s talk True Blood first. One thing I’ve noticed is that for a werewolf Alcide has a very nice moral line. Do we ever see that kind of get shaken, or would you like to see that get shaken up a little bit?
Joe Manganiello:
Yeah, you will see that get shaken up. Towards the end of the season you will definitely see that, but I think it is done in a very interesting way, let’s just say that. It is done in a way that made me very excited when I read it.

AE: Is this something you’ve wanted to see happen for him since you’ve been on the show?
JM:
It actually is. I’ve wanted to see what would happen if he crossed the line, and I think everybody that is watching whether you consciously know it or not, it is a line that gets crossed that you really want to see get crossed, yeah.

AE: Alcide is still very moony-eyed over Sookie (Anna Paquin), but their timing always seems to be a little off. I’m wondering, is he going to wait around, or is he eventually going to get tired of waiting?
JM:
He is a man at the end of the day. He's a man with a big heart, and I think that he needs it to be reciprocated. So I think there is only so long that someone can go without it being reciprocated. But hopefully the timing does wind up working out at some point.

AE: Vampires traditionally are very sexual and very homoerotic. Do you think werewolves are kind of the same way?
JM:
Elements of homoeroticism in werewolves? I don’t think Alcide is. Alcide is straight, and I’m trying to think of the other werewolves. That storyline hasn’t really been explored on the show.

AE: And of course Magic Mike is getting so much attention. I don’t know if I remember a movie getting this much buzz way before it came out. I’m sure you’ve been hearing a lot about it from fans.
JM:
Pretty much once we starting shooting it in October it has dominated every conversation I think I’ve had. I was in Spiderman, and I’ve been a part of some pretty big movies and big projects, and I’ve never seen anything like the amount of attention and curiosity about it like Magic Mike. It is wild.

In Miami during the Magic Mike junket, Joe can't help but turn heads (and cameras)

AE: Outside of the fun it looks like this movie is, what drew you to be a part of it?
JM:
Steven Soderbergh, for sure, [Matthew] McConaughey, Channing [Tatum], and Matt Bomer…so the people that I was working with. I think also the subject material was curious to me and that whole world. I started working in clubs at age 16, so it is all a story about the club life. About picking the sex, drugs, and rock and roll kind of thing. I think that was interesting to me as well. It seemed like a lot of fun, the stuff that they were giving me to do. I mean, hell, they offered me a part. The part of Big Dick Richie and with everything that goes along with that in the movie and that writing, I was laughing hysterically. The gags that I have are just kind of all fun.

AE: What is your character about? Just hearing that name you think maybe that’s all he is, but is that all we see of him in the movie?
JM:
You have to go see it and see. Yeah, he talks and interacts and obviously there is more to him than just that, but it is a lot of fun.

AE: What were your stripper moves before the movie compared to after the movie? Did you learn some stuff on the set?
JM:
Oh yeah, I learned a lot on the set for sure. I think there is a lot in Magic Mike that would have been applicable for this season of True Blood. I definitely got some ideas from shooting Magic Mike for certain scenes that come up this year on True Blood.

AE: You’re good at teasing! Do you have a best dance move in general, not necessarily stripping, but just a dance move that you are good at?
JM:
I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to go out to a club and go dancing. I’m just not really that guy, but yeah, I think that male stripping is all about the hips, the pelvis and that whole thing. You come away with some basic moves that are either applicable to life or, like I said, you can take those on to a show like True Blood and use them there. There are definitely some moves that I can use this year on the show.

Earlier this year, Manganiello guest-starred on White Collar with his college pal, Matt Bomer

AE: I know you and Matt Bomer have been buddies for a long time. Was there a different side of him that you saw that you didn’t know he had or did you know that he had this in him?
JM:
Matt is hysterically funny. Matt is one of the funniest people that I know, so the two of us together we were just laughing our asses off the whole time. Yeah, I know Matt really, really well and Matt is the kind of actor that can pull off anything. The guy is so versatile. Especially even at school, he was a triple threat, and he was a computer major. He was a singer, dancer, actor, so I wouldn’t say that I was shocked by any of it, but I will say that working on the movie was probably the most fun I think I’ve ever had at work. I was surprised by how ridiculously funny it all was and how much fun we all had. I was surprised by how cool all of the guys were. Not necessarily Matt, because I’ve known Matt for years, but all the rest of the guys in the movie. I made friends for life. These guys are awesome.

AE: You’ve always been really great with your gay fans, but when in your life were you aware of gay people in the world?
JM:
Yeah, in high school I was aware, but I would say that probably drama school. I think drama school I was aware because I think the high school I went to was a bit sheltered, a bit conservative in many ways. I should say a bit homogenized in a certain way...there was not a lot of diversity. By the time I got out of there and got to college, especially drama school all of the sudden some of my best friends are gay and my classmates are gay and we’re reading Angels in America as freshmen, and all of the sudden you’re realizing this is a big part of culture. And this is actually a big part of the profession that I am in being an artist. So I think it was college that really opened my eyes to a lot of stuff that I just didn’t have growing up in the town that I grew up in.

Sookie! Sookie! Sookie! Isn't it getting old, Alcide?

AE: Okay, and now a lot of the attention that you get is for your body but are there any qualms that your acting isn’t the first thing people might notice?
JM:
Actually, man, I spent the first half of my career doing nothing but Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen, ancient Greek. People ask me, ‘Oh, are you worried about getting typecast? I mean typecast as a guy who works with Oscar winners? I work with Alan Ball. I work with Steven Soderbergh. I think it’s going okay.

The acting part of it or the training part it doesn’t disappear. It doesn’t go somewhere. I do things 110 percent. That is just how I am. If the part requires me looking a certain way then that is how I’m going to look, and it just seems like right now these are the parts that are coming up. Projects with phenomenal, fantastic people, casts, actors, directors, writers, and show runners. So if it’s a good project I’m going to do it, and if my shirt is off in it then I’m going to do that 110 percent. If my shirt is on I’m going to do that 110 percent. I’m really not concerned. As you know, my shirt is on the first four episodes of True Blood this year, and there is some pretty heavily dramatic stuff that goes on there.

AE: Beyond acting, but do you have aspirations to write or direct?
JM:
Yeah, I’ve written stuff before, and I’m actually looking to put together a couple of producing projects that I hope to shoot during my hiatus in 2013. Producing is definitely on the radar for now. I mean it is hard directing, that is probably more down the line, but I could definitely see myself doing it at some point. But for right now I want to produce projects that I would want to see.

AE: Last question, what would fans be surprised to find out about you?
JM:
I used to compete in chess tournaments when I was six years old.

AE: When you were six?!
JM:
I got third place in a chess tournament when I was six.

AE: Do you still play chess?
JM:
I haven’t played in a little while just because I’ve been so busy, but I love it.

True Blood airs Sundays at 9pm et/pt on HBO. Magic Mike opens in theaters on June 29th.

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Harvey (Theatre) Review - Jim Parsons

[Source]

Stage Review
Harvey (2012)
Reviewed by Thom Geier | Jun 20, 2012

EW's GRADEDetails
Opening Date: Jun 14, 2012; Lead Performances: Jessica Hecht, Charles Kimbrough and Jim Parsons; Writer: Mary Chase; Director: Scott Ellis; Genres: Comedy, Revival
B-

Image credit: Joan Marcus
JIM PARSONS IN HARVEY Perfectly suited to reprise Jimmy
Stewart's role from the 1950 film version in new Broadway
revival
Is Jim Parsons the next Jimmy Stewart? I wouldn't have made the connection before seeing the uneven new Broadway revival of Mary Chase's Harvey, which runs through Aug. 5 at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Studio 54. But like Stewart, the two-time Emmy-winning star of The Big Bang Theory is a rail-thin everyman who projects both intelligence and fundamental decency. He's perfectly suited to reprise Stewart's role from the 1950 film version of Harvey, about a seemingly ordinary guy whose best friend and constant companion is a six-foot-three-inch rabbit named Harvey that most of the world (including the audience) cannot see.

Of course, the family of that seemingly ordinary guy, Elwood P. Dowd, don't share his wide-eyed guilelessness. Dowd's prim sister, Veta (Jessica Hecht), is as much put out by his dinner invitations to people he's just met as she is to his constant opening of doors for invisible lapine friends. And how will she ever find a husband for her daughter, Myrtle Mae (Tracee Chimoo), with an uncle whom most of the town regard as a nutcase? So Veta decides to commit Elwood to a sanitarium run by Dr. Chumley (Murphy Brown's Charles Kimbrough). Naturally, things do not go according to plan.

Alas, the same might be said of Scott Ellis' oddly sluggish production, which lurches from scene to scene when it should be bunny-hopping briskly along. Mary Chase's play too often feels like a dated relic, and much of the cast are ill-suited to its demands. Hecht, a strong performer in dramas like A View From the Bridge and After the Fall, seems out of her element in a more broadly comic role as an appearance-minded fussbudget. In a cameo as Chumley's wife, Taxi's Carol Kane is neither grounded nor daffy enough.

The revelation here, aside from David Rockwell's stunning revolving sets, is Parsons. After a promising but tentative Broadway debut last year in A Normal Heart, the preternaturally boyish actor commands the stage in a surprisingly offhanded way. He rivets your attention without any big gestures or look-at-me grandstanding — and without merely delivering a Jimmy Stewart impression. Instead, he captures the essence of Stewart while making an old-fashioned character seem refreshingly modern. It's as if he's internalized Elwood's forthright embrace of the whimsically absurd. ''I've wrestled with reality most of my life,'' he says at one point, in a Sheldon-like deadpan. ''I'm happy to state I've won out over it.'' B-

(Tickets: roundabouttheatre.org or 212-719-1300)

Originally posted Jun 14, 2012

YouTube - @Out4Marriage

EW.com

[Source]

Jun 20
2012
06:00 PM ET

This Week's Cover: The New Art of Coming Out in Hollywood

by

In this week’s Entertainment Weekly special report cover story, writer Mark Harris examines the new, casual method gay celebrities are using to reveal their sexuality publicly for the first time. Fifteen years ago, when Ellen DeGeneres decided to come out of the closet, it was big news. Not just big: It was the cover of Time magazine, and a major story on OprahPrimetime Live, and CNN. Last month, another star of a popular TV comedy went public with his homosexuality. But the news that The Big Bang Theory’s Emmy-winner Jim Parsons is gay was reported with such matter-of-fact understatement that many people’s first reaction was a quick Google search to see if maybe he was out already and we’d all just failed to notice.

But sometimes big news arrives quietly. That new blink-and-you’ll-miss-it style is an important hallmark of changing times. Fifteen years further into the evolution of gay equality than DeGeneres was, Parsons joins American Horror Story’s Zachary Quinto, White Collar’s Matt Bomer, and any number of other gay TV personalities, from Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson to Glee’s Jane Lynch to CNN anchor Don Lemon to Bravo’s Andy Cohen, who have pretty much put to rest any questions about the viability of being out in showbiz.

Even if it’s accomplished in a subordinate clause or a passing reference, coming out casually is, in its way, as activist as DeGeneres’ Time cover, although few of these actors would probably choose to label themselves as such. The current vibe for discussing one’s sexuality is almost defiantly mellow: This is part of who I am, I don’t consider it a big deal or a crisis, and if you do, that’s not my problem. It may sound like a shrug, but it shouldn’t be mistaken for indifference. By daring anyone to overreact, the newest generation of gay public figures is making a clear statement that there is a “new normal” — and it consists of being plainspoken, clear, and truthful about who you are.

For more on the “new” style of coming out — including how David Hyde Pierce, T.R. Knight, and Neil Patrick Harris helped to pave the way, and how some celebrities are currently struggling with maintaining a not-out-but-not-in “glass closet” — check out this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly, available on your iPad on Thursday and on newsstands and other tablets this Friday.

River City article from AfterElton

[Source]

Langford on Soaps: Will's Dark Side Could Cost Robbie His Life on "River City"

Posted by Anthony D. Langford on June 20, 2012

River City


Ah well, I should have known Will was too good to be true. I am so not happy about the direction this show is taking with Will, even if it might be dramatic television. It’s obvious that Will’s violent nature is going to affect his and Robbie’s relationship, I just wish the show wouldn’t do it. I rarely gripe when television shows portray gays as less than perfect, even when they make them the bad guys.

I usually enjoy that. But I suspect Will’s headed to a place that the character won’t be able to come back from, at least not without some skillful writing. Up until now he’s been such an appealing character, but with these latest plot twists, it’s clear he’s not long for the show. Shame.

Out gay actor Gary Lamont hopes his gay domestic abuse storyline will help viewers….

Domestic violence between gay couples isn’t your usual fare for television, mostly because there aren’t that many gay pairings out there and television usually only wants to portray them in the most positive of lights. But last year Hollyoaks took the chance on a risky, edgy storyline with the dark relationship between Brendan Brady and Ste Hay. However, despite its original intent of showing a young man escaping and moving past his abusive lover, that show took the disturbing route of attempting to make Brendan and Ste a viable couple despite their violent history. Another show is tackling such a storyline, and it seems unlikely that they’ll take the Hollyoaks’ slant of glossing over gay domestic violence.

Scottish soap River City begins a new arc this week when Robbie is attacked by his lover Will, a cop he only met a couple of months ago and recently moved in with. Viewers have seen over the past few weeks that Will has a barely-hidden violent side, which exploded when he beat up a criminal who’d been able to slip through the tentacles of the law. And this week, Will takes his rage out on Robbie only minutes after asking Robbie to marry him. But while Robbie will forgive Will this time, the story will continue to unfold over the next several months, playing out until the fall as the abuse gets worse.

Will’s dark side is about to be revealed…

Gary Lamont, the openly gay actor who plays Robbie, says he hopes this storyline sheds light on a subject not often talked about.

“I hope a storyline like this opens up a dialogue for people if they need it. It could become a catalyst for conversation.” Lamont told the Scottish Daily Record.  “People tell me they watch River City with their mums, a lot of guys especially.”

Lamont relishes playing this dark storyline, which is a change for his usually campy and brash character.

“…For the last two years, Robbie has been very stereotypical, two dimensional, a heightened version of a TV character where you have artistic license to camp it up a bit. But this storyline shows a bit more depth about him. It shows his more human side.” Lamont said. “…This storyline gives me the chance to play him from another angle. There’s depth to the story of where people are at with their sexuality and how that impacts their day to day life. But it also highlights something harrowing which does exist. I have to make sure I pitch that right - there’s a huge responsibility with that and I hope we’ve done it justice.”