Congratulations - Alan Cumming

[Source]

Alan Cumming announces gay wedding in New York
by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
9 January 2012, 12:59pm

Cumming and partner Grant Shaffer
married on the anniversary of their
civil partnership

Bisexual actor Alan Cumming announced last night he had married his partner Grant Shaffer in New York, adding to their British civil partnership.

The pair celebrated the fifth anniversary of their civil union by marrying in the US state, the sixth in the union to allow the ceremonies.

Cumming, originally from Scotland, announced the news on micro-blogging site Twitter with a special message for Republican presidential candidacy hopeful Rick Santorum.

He wrote: “I just got married!!!!! On the 5th anniversary of our wedding in London grant and I tied the knot again in NYC!!! #eatmericksantorum. [sic]”

Santorum was booed last week for his anti-gay comments ahead of the New Hampshire primary, as the race for the Republican presidential nomination gets under-way.

Cumming, who will be appearing this year as both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in a Glasgow production of the Scottish play, now lives in New York City with Shaffer and their two dogs.

Last year, he criticised figures from his industry who recommended young actors stay in the closet.

He said: “I always think about a little gay boy in Wisconsin or a little lesbian in Arkansas seeing someone like me, and if I cannot be open in my life, how on earth can they?”

======================
And those are his tweets.

An article from ET

[Source]

'Playboy Club' Actor Overwhelmed By Support

By JARETT WIESELMAN
October 03, 2011

Parallels between actor and character can often be clearly drawn, but never before has a case of art imitating life been as wonderfully realized as it has with Playboy Club actor Sean Maher. Last week, Maher used his role as head of the Chicago chapter of the Mattachine Society, an underground gay-rights group from the ’50s and ’60s, as a springboard to publicly come out himself.

Now, one week later, he spoke with ETonline about the goosebump inducing support he's received from every corner of the globe. Plus, Maher teases what's to come for his character on NBC's 60s set drama -- including some real romance!

ETonline: One week ago you came out to the world – how have the last seven days been?
Sean Maher: I am still overwhelmed by the outpouring of love. I always felt like I'd have support but I never imagined it would be on such a large scale. I just wanted to come forward and tell my story – to say "this is my family, I'm so proud of them and I'm tired of hiding this" because I have a 4-year-old and didn’t want her to think there was something possibly wrong with our family. Staying in the closet for the sake of work simply made no sense through the eyes of my 4-year-old.

ETonline: What kinds of messages have you been getting?
Maher: It's been so positive. Some responses have been, "you inspired me, I just came out to my parents, it went so well, thank you!" There have also been a few Tweets along the lines of, "Sean Maher's gay? Yay! He already has a partner? Boo!" [laughs] The day the story broke I just sat in my hotel room for eight hours and read every comment. I was just covered in goose bumps and crying. My fans inspire me so much.

ETonline: Which came first: the role or the choice to come out?
Maher: It's so bizarre – my partner and I have been talking about doing this for a while, but nothing felt like the right platform to do it. Then my manager sent me The Playboy Club and it was just that "holy s*** moment." I hadn't been this excited by a role in a long time – not only because it provided the perfect platform to come forward, but because the role was just so exciting.

ETonline: This week sees your character begin to work for Eddie Cibrian’s, right?
Maher: Yea, we start to work a lot more together because Nick hires Sean to run his campaign for State's Attorney. What I love about it is that basically Nick hires Sean to create a facade for him – so Sean's creating doing smoke and mirrors for Nick in the same way he has for himself, which is interesting to watch. One of the first things Sean says to Nick is, "It doesn’t matter who you are, it matters what you portray," which is exactly my character's take on his own life.

ETonline: Will we get to see any of Sean’s true romantic life?
Sean: Yes, his partner Grant is introduced tonight's episode and he works with my character in getting The Mattachine Society up and running. Then we also meet Frances Dunhill (played by Cassidy Freeman), a huge socialite – her father is Dunhill industries – who I set up with Nick so they can be photographed together as part of his "new life." But there's a twist with her character that I think the audience is going to love. The next episode really plants the seeds for some great stuff that's coming up.

ETonline: Which begs the inevitable question, how are you guys feeling about the less-than-stellar ratings the show has garnered?
Sean: I'll be honest, it's hard not to get nervous and ponder the fate of the show when you look at the numbers. But Chad Hodge is such a remarkable leader -- he's keeping the energy and morale high. We all believe we’re doing something great and the word from NBC is that they still love and believe in the show. They're talking about moving our timeslot to see if that changes anything, but it's hard. Especially since I haven't been this happy on a show in a really long time. We're all just hoping they give us a chance to gain an audience.
The Playboy Club airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on NBC.

An article from Greg in Hollywood

[Source]

Congratulations to “Firefly” and “Playboy Club” cast member Sean Maher who is now an openly gay actor
By Greg Hernandez on Sep 26, 2011 6:37 pm

As a gay blogger, this is the kind of post that makes all the effort worth it.
Actor Sean Maher, currently starring on NBC’s The Playboy Club as a closeted gay man, has come out publicly as a gay man in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“I’ve never discussed it publicly,” the 36-year-old told EW during an exclusive interview at a restaurant in his Los Feliz neighborhood. “I’ve never been asked about it publicly, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t paint a different picture. … It was so exhausting, and I was so miserable. I didn’t really have any life other than work and this façade I was putting on. So I kept my friends from college [where he was out] separate from my work friends, and that was very confusing. I just kept going on and on painting this picture of somebody I wasn’t. I didn’t have time for a personal relationship anyway. And you just don’t realize that it’s eating away at your soul.””

Sean is best known for his role on the series Firefly but his handsome looks got him a lot of attention when he starred in Fox’s short-lived cop drama Ryan Caulfield: Year One. (pictured, left).

You’ve got to figure Sean was encouraged to see someone like Neil Patrick Harris absolutely thrive as an openly gay performer. He joins the ranks of NPH, Luke Macfarlane, T.R. Knight and others who decided to come out while starring on a network television show.

I hope he becomes a bigger star than ever so that some of the other well-known actors out there, who are also gay, will be encouraged to also come out.

Sean and his partner, Paul, have been together for nearly nine years and have two children: Sophia Rose, 4, and Liam Xavier, 14 months.

So does Maher regret spending 14 years in the closet professionally?

“I don’t think I have regrets,” he said. “I do believe that sort of this journey took me to the place where I got and I don’t think I would feel so strongly about doing what I’m doing now had I not suffered for the years that I did.”

An article from Los Angeles Times

[Source]

Neil Patrick Harris is just keeping busy

The tireless actor is seemingly at the Hollywood pinnacle. Directing the play 'The Expert at the Card Table' is just one of many projects that include film, TV, theater and Web.

Neil Patrick Harris during rehersal for "The Expert at the Card Table" at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times / July 15, 2011)

By T.L. Stanley, Special to the Los Angeles Times
July 15, 2011

You'd have to be living under a rock — one with no entertainment in any medium — not to have come across Neil Patrick Harris lately.

The former child star and "Doogie Howser, M.D." alum has been as ubiquitous as Betty White and with similar results. Though he's all over prime-time TV, feature films, musical theater, kids' shows, reality competitions, chat fests and Internet spoofs, there's no discernable backlash.

That's quite a hat trick, even for a magician like Harris.

"It's impossible to get tired of him," said Jon Hurwitz, a creator of the "Harold & Kumar" franchise, in which Harris will reprise his outrageously debauched character in "A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas" this holiday. "When you see him, you smile."

In just the last few months, Harris charmed critics and drew big ratings for his second singing-and-dancing go-around as emcee of the Tony Awards, hosted a fundraising gala for President Obama and championed same-sex marriage legislation in New York via his Twitter feed.

That's after wrapping the sixth season of the sleeper hit "How I Met Your Mother," directing a sitcom pilot under consideration at CBS, stumping for his two current independent films and prepping "The Expert at the Card Table," a play he's directing that launches this weekend at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica.

All that and also Harris is a honcho at the L.A. landmark, the Magic Castle, a producer of the immersive theatrical game, "Accomplice: Hollywood," and an affable presence on shows as varied as "Sesame Street," "Live With Regis and Kelly," "The Howard Stern Show" and "American Idol."

His voice doesn't even get a rest, popping up as the narrator on kids' audio books and in TV series like "Robot Chicken" and "The Penguins of Madagascar." And he and longtime companion David Burtka welcomed fraternal twins by a surrogate last fall; Gideon and Harper are 9 months old now.

Harris, who admits that even this exhaustive list is just scratching the surface of his comings and goings, said he sometimes feels like "a vaudevillian plate spinner." Not one to complain — in fact, he's quick to use words like "grateful" and "fortunate" — he said he simply likes to be busy and strives not to pigeonhole himself.

"I like to make decisions based on things I'm interested in doing, not what seems like the next move in my quote-unquote career," Harris, 38, said recently after a grueling press junket for his upcoming family comedy, "The Smurfs." "I'm not trying to climb a ladder — I'm casting a bit of a net."

He tends to underplay the effect of the public revelation he made in 2006 that he's "a very content gay man" and said he feels like other gay performers had already blazed the trail.

"There are so many examples of talented actors working today, no matter how they live their private lives," the Albuquerque native said. "I'm lucky that people believe me when I'm in character."

Industry colleagues, though, said his subsequent success and high visibility in the cultural mainstream is nothing short of precedent-setting. He's been able to slip easily from being himself on major awards shows — joking in song that the Tonys aren't just for gays anymore, walking the red carpet with Burtka — to playing aggressively heterosexual men like "How I Met Your Mother's" rakish Barney Stinson.

"The fact that he's made his sexuality a nonissue is a particular kind of triumph," said writer-director Joss Whedon, mastermind of the Internet smash "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" in which Harris starred as the title character who's smitten with a woman from the laundromat. "He's managed to create, maintain and embody a persona that transcends sexuality. He might not have set out to be a groundbreaker, but he is one."

Harris' deft coming-out has been "extremely significant," Hurwitz said. "It's things like this that may bring about change" in Hollywood casting.

It's still to be determined if Harris will play big romantic leads or action star roles in mainstream films, which usually have been reserved for actors who are not openly gay.

Though Harris announced he was gay while "How I Met Your Mother" was still getting its foothold, he never asked for any changes in how the womanizing character behaved, or rather, misbehaved, according to executive producer Carter Bays.

Harris had been a bit of a dark horse in the running for Barney Stinson, with the creators having more of a John Belushi or Chris Farley type in mind. But when Harris spiced his audition with some unscripted physical comedy during a laser tag scene, Bays was convinced he was the right choice.

"He went into this shoulder roll that was really acrobatic," Bays said. "It's hard not to give the part to the guy doing somersaults."

That moment set the tone for the next six years, Bays said. "He will always go a little further than necessary," he said. "You get the sense that he doesn't just know his lines — he's worked them 99 different ways until he found the funniest way to say them."

Barney had been envisioned as a scoundrel, "not the guy you would want your friend to date." But Harris gave the character a decent, vulnerable quality that wasn't planned in the original writing.

"He brings all the good stuff to Barney," Bays said. "He's so likable that when you put him in this role, Barney never seems like that bad of a guy. That's not so much acting — that's Neil at his core."

With seemingly everyone, including the Muppets and "So You Think You Can Dance's" Nigel Lythgoe, clamoring to work with him, how will Harris decide what to do next? He mentioned scaling back his myriad activities to spend more time with his young family, but he also has his eye on more directing and producing projects. He'd love to try his hand at being a modern-day Ed Sullivan, and he's percolating ideas for children's TV shows.

Another "Dr. Horrible," which is in the works, "would take precedence," Harris said, though he'd have to fit it into what he calls "the Tetris game that is my professional life."

Whedon, who directed Harris in his Emmy-winning guest turn on "Glee," said it's no wonder he's in demand. He has "a Sinatra quality" that makes his shifts between genres and platforms look effortless.

"Through the force of his own personality and wit, he's become something bigger than the roles he plays," Whedon said. "People look at him and don't see any one of those parts — they see that guy they love."


calendar@latimes.com

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

Michael Urie - Interview Magazine

[Source]

Michael Urie's Prophet Motive

By Sam Bellikoff 02/03/2011 12:30 PM

MICHAEL URIE

After winning the Pulitzer Prize, back-to-back Tony awards for Best Play, a record-breaking number of Emmys for the HBO adaptation, and being canonized as a text taught in high schools and colleges across the globe, Tony Kushner's Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes returned to New York City last fall for the first time since it left Broadway over fifteen years ago. Directed by Michael Greif (of Rent and Next to Normal), the politically charged, sweeping epic has been selling out the intimate Peter Norton Space, in which both parts of the seven-hour play have been performed in repertory, since September. The production has now been extended three times—meaning a cast change is in order.

Enter Michael Urie, who on Tuesday took over the pivotal role of Prior Walter from Christian Borle. Urie is no stranger to playing gay roles. Over the course of four years as Marc St. James on ABC's Ugly Betty, his character grew from a flamboyant gay fashion assistant to a character with resounding emotional depth and maturity. Then there was last year's Off-Broadway The Temperamentals,  where Urie again portrayed a gay man working in fashion, but this time one at the forefront of the gay civil-rights movement in the early '50s. And, of course, in the role of his own life, Urie, who initially seemed to be press-shy regarding his sexual orientation, described himself as "queer" exactly one year ago in the February 2010 issue of The Advocate. In our chat, Urie, rather than directly addressing his sexuality, uses that all-telling word when discussing the state of homosexuals today: we.  It is this very idea of "we"—of community, of progress—that is at the heart of Angels. We sat down with Urie to discuss his preparation for the role, his fear—or lack thereof—of being typecast, and the new sense of political urgency the play has taken on today.


SAM BELLIKOFF: Have you joined a cast in the middle of a play's run before?

MICHAEL URIE:  Yes, one other time. I did The Revenger's Tragedy with the Redbull Theater in 2005. Like Angels in America, I got the job before I'd seen it. I went to see it with my fingers crossed and was blown away, like I was with Angels. Both shows were excellent, and I got really excited to do them. I can only imagine, I was actually thinking about this today, What if you got a job to replace somebody in something that's a coveted job, and you get there and the show is terrible [laughs]. That would be horrible.

BELLIKOFF: What does it mean for you to be in this now?

URIE: This play has come with my every step of my artistic life. When I was growing up in Dallas, my older sister, who is now living in Berkeley married to a woman, she took me to a gay bookstore in Dallas. You know, you can get Angels in America in any Barnes and Noble. Even where I grew up in Texas, you could get this book. But I happened to buy it there. It was a very vivid memory, being in a gay bookstore in a gay part of Dallas (which has grown immensely since 1995). I still have those scripts that I bought that day. It was always a play that stayed with me. In high school, I worked on the part of Joe. In college at Juilliard, I did a couple of different scenes from it as Louis. And almost a year ago, they were talking about doing this production and I got to audition for Prior, so I started working on him. I've had this journey with the play. Every few years I've got to work on a different part. This one obviously is most exciting, and the most intense and turns out, the best part, for me anyway. I liked it the most, working on Prior.

BELLIKOFF: Not just because you're joining it in the middle of this specific run, but because the play itself is so iconic, are you approaching the part differently than you would an original role?

URIE:  With roles that are so deep, like in this play, you have to bring so much of yourself to it that I can't see two actors doing the same version. If you're going to go there, you have to use yourself, and then it's immediately going to become different. So while I get to steal a lot of Christian's really good ideas and great choices, even doing an idea that came from him will come out my own way and be a little bit different. But it is tricky. Both times I've replaced someone, I have replaced people that were giving phenomenal performances.

BELLIKOFF: I can only imagine. With this part, there's a stark physicality to the role. Does that terrify you?

URlE: I am juicing currently.  As I speak to you, I am preparing the juicer, [laughs] because I have been on this very strict diet. I've never dieted before in my life.  I knew that not only was there nudity, but the nudity was going to be for the sole purpose of seeing this character's physical demise. My body is going to be going through it, playing this seven-hour part. I have to look really sick, so I need to be as healthy as I can possibly be. I've actually become healthier than I've ever been in playing a sick person.

BELLIKOFF: Your character is considered a prophet of hope. If you had to be the prophet of hope for something, what would it be? What do you hope for?

URIE: Towards the end of the play, I talk about how we're going to get better. I say, "This disease will be the end of many of us, but not nearly all. The dead will be commemorated and will struggle on with the living and we are not going away. We will not die secret deaths anymore. The world only spins forward."  And then I say, " We will be citizens. The time has come."  That line was written in 1993: "We will be citizens." And now it's 2011, and we are still not citizens. I think that that is the hope for me. At the end of the play, you know that you are watching a period piece. You know that AIDS is not the death sentence that it was at the time when the play came out, and certainly at the time that the play depicts. And then, at the end, you hear this line, "We will be citizens," and you know what it meant then. It means something different now, but it's still true. Gay people still are not... we don't have the same rights. They're not seen in the same light, even in New York—a liberal mecca—where this play is being done and takes place.  So I guess that would be my hope. That when you leave the play—and I don't think it's possible with this production—you don't feel that it is simply a period piece. It represents a continuing struggle.

BELLIKOFF: I know your sexuality has been something you didn't originally want to talk about, before discussing it in The Advocate earlier this year. But looking at the parts that you take, do you see the roles that you're choosing as your own form of activism? How do you approach what you do?

URIE: There's definitely been times where I've thought or tried to make a concerted effort to branch out as far as the sexuality of my roles goes, but then I can't help it. A good role comes along, and a good role is a good role. The role of Prior in this play is better than almost any heterosexual role I can think of, so that question sort of goes out the window when the part is that good. It was the same with The Temperamentals. I also would rather work than wait and jobs are coming my way. But also...it's such a good part, first The Temperamentals and now Angels, I'd be a fool not to do it. Any straight person would too.

BELLIKOFF: Did you used to have a fear of being typecast but now it's not there as much anymore?

URIE: When I was doing Ugly Betty on TV, I was concerned about being typecast as that character. It didn't have anything to do with the character being gay, it was more the flamboyance of that character that worried me. I didn't want to become a stock TV character. There are so few similarities between that character and the one I played in The Temperamentals. They're both gay and they actually both happen to be in fashion, which is very ironic, but they're so different.

BELLIKOFF: To backtrack a bit, talking about Ugly Betty, did you have any input into the evolution of your character, Marc, over the years?

URIE: My part, originally—when I got cast, it was this tiny little co-star part. It wasn't even supposed to continue past the pilot. They didn't have ideas, it wasn't a fleshed-out character, until Vanessa Williams liked me. We had an amazing rapport right away, and the producers decided they were going to keep me on. I always thought of typically our parts, Vanessa's and mine, as Shakespearean villains. And I always sort of treated it like that. We always told the audience what we were going to do and then we went and did it. And then in the end, in the last two seasons, my character got to have ambition and try to move up in the world of magazines and have this lovely rivalry with Betty. I ended up with this incredible arc based on a character that was a joke, one joke. He was just this snarky, bitchy assistant and he ended up with a whole lot of character by the end.

BELLIKOFF: And you also worked on a new pilot, Brain Trust. Is that a different type of character for you?

URIE: Yes! I get to play a nerd. I wasn't exactly breaking down any masculine barriers with my craft, but I was getting to wear very frumpy clothes and boy colors, sort of like the anti-Marc, which is great. I hope it gets picked up!

BELLIKOFF: What are your main thoughts on starting Angels?

URIE: I'm excited. Excited is the first one. I'm really, really ready. I'm ready to jump in.

Pauley Perrette is in her NOH8 Dress

Digital Spy Interview - John Partridge

John Partridge (Christian Clarke, 'EastEnders')
Friday, January 21 2011, 20:30 GMT By Daniel Kilkelly, Soaps Editor

Christian and Syed's relationship takes a surprising new twist in EastEnders next week after Roxy offers to be a surrogate mother for the couple. Events move quickly from there and it's not long before Christian has provided his best friend with a sperm sample, looking forward to what the future might hold. However, when Syed gets cold feet, the pair rush to stop Roxy from using the sample - only to discover that they're too late and the deed has been done. DS recently caught up with John Partridge, who plays Christian, and heard how this is only the start of an eventful time ahead for one of Albert Square's most popular couples…

Christian and Syed's storyline could have gone down many different routes now that they're in a happy and stable relationship - are you pleased that they've gone with the surrogacy plot?
"Well, the thing is that some storylines are just a way of getting you to another story. Everyone is so focused on the surrogacy aspect - I think that people think this storyline is about surrogacy, when in actual fact it's not. It's actually a story that leads to a story. Of course I'm happy that they're going down the surrogacy route, but that's not the full picture and it's only the start. People mustn't get too hung up on the fact that it's about surrogacy, because we're actually just dipping our toes into this storyline."

Some viewers have been quite keen for a civil partnership for Christian and Syed - would you have liked to see the writers go down that route?
"It could have gone down the civil partnership route, but where's the drama in civil partnership? Christian and Syed would be really happy and they'd get married - there's no drama in that, is there? Also, I think that would have been a massive jump for Syed - to leave his old life behind, to be dealing with his sexuality, to be living a gay life and then to suddenly say he's going to get married. Especially after having such a fantastic wedding last time - even though it was for all the wrong reasons! (Laughs) I don't think that would have been the right choice dramatically or for serving the characters and their story. I think it may have been a crowd-pleaser, but that's not necessarily what the story is there to serve. The story is there to serve the characters."

Will this new storyline serve the characters well?
"I think it will serve the characters very well and provide drama. Part two of our storyline will be a far deeper emotional level than the first part - it'll be far stronger in emotional and dramatic content. The surrogacy story is the way of starting our storyline, but all storylines aren't what they seem! It won't take a path that most people will imagine it to take - there are many twists and turns in this storyline if it plays out as we've been led to believe, and the surrogacy definitely isn't the main event."

What kind of impact would you like the surrogacy aspect to have?
"As a gay man and a gay actor, I am happy that we go down the surrogacy route - I think these type of issues are very important. The thing is, once EastEnders puts an issue like gay surrogacy to the front of the show, in three years' time something like this becomes so commonplace that it wouldn't even be worthy of having it as a story. So as far as I'm concerned, I think that gay surrogacy is an important story. As long as a child is brought into the world in a loving environment and two people feel responsible enough to provide that, then that's all that matters. But EastEnders is not here to preach to people, to be an educational tool or to tell people how to live their lives. EastEnders is a fictional programme and I think sometimes we can forget that and believe what's happening on screen is real life, when it isn't. EastEnders is here for enjoyment and if, within that, you can have a moralistic tone or encourage someone to talk about an issue in their life, that's a good thing - but the role of the show is to provide drama and enjoyment."

Do you think Christian is rushing in to the surrogacy idea too quickly?
"Well, Christian wanted a baby before and those types of feelings - if they're genuine - don't just go away. Christian is not getting any younger and he's a character who often acts on impulse - once he decides he wants something, he goes out there and tries to make it happen. He's approaching 40, he's happy, he's with a guy he loves, and a baby is what he wants to make his life feel complete. But he has wanted a child for the past 18 months after the Amy story, and even though you don't see him with Amy all the time, the idea is that he's a great godfather to her. He was devastated when it didn't work out with Amy and just because he hasn't been seen agonising over having a baby doesn't mean he hasn't thought about it. He's definitely not doing it on a whim."

Roxy obviously has a part to play here - what do you think of her role in Christian and Syed's storyline? Some fans often get frustrated with her for interfering in their relationship…
"I love the character of Roxy! Christian loves her and I love her too. I think that she's a fantastic character and I think that their relationship is fantastic. The thing is, when you're in a relationship with somebody, you can't tell them everything. With long-lasting, successful relationships, you often have to keep something back - and everybody needs a best friend. Christian and Roxy are best friends for better and for worse. They egg each other on, they have fun together and they're there to lean on each other and confide in. I think that if Christian and Syed were just cocooned together all the time, they wouldn't last. I also think sometimes people forget that Christian has an edge - he's a gay guy that could probably be a right bitch if he wants to be! If Christian wasn't gay, I think him and Roxy would be perfect for each other, but unfortunately he is uber-gay so that's never going to happen! But I think they'll always be together - even when they're old and grey. Roxy is part of the package as far as Christian is concerned."

Do you think Roxy is always well-intentioned when it comes to Christian and Syed's relationship?
"I think she is always well-intentioned, yes. Even if a bit of the green-eyed monster comes out every now and again, she loves Christian. You have to remember that Roxy doesn't have any other mates - she hasn't got anyone else. So sometimes she might think, 'Oh Syed, just get lost!' But she knows how Christian feels about him and she knows that more than anybody. It's harmless, really - when it comes down to it, she knows how Christian feels and I don't think she would do anything to hurt him intentionally."

Do you think we'll ever get back to the point where Christian and Syed are spending a lot of screen time with the Masoods, and maybe resolving some of the issues there?
"Well, like I say, we're just starting this story and of course, yes, I do think we will get back to that. I do think that will happen throughout the story because obviously there has to be some type of resolution. So in a word, yes, I think those issues will start to be resolved. We may not have the outcome that people want and it may not come about in the way that people think, but some of those issues will be addressed, yes. I don't think we'd be serving the story or the characters well if these things were just left unaddressed."

Matt Bomer was interviewd by Poptimal

[Source]
White Collar: Q&A Conference Call with Matt Bomer & Tim DeKay
January 9, 2011 by Allison Toner

White Collar’s duo of Neal Caffrey and Peter Burke light up the screen with their entertaining repartee. After partaking in a recent conference call with Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay, it is evident that this dynamic chemistry carries off-screen as well. The charismatic pair dished on what is to come in season 2.5, crossovers with other USA Networks shows, singing and much more!

On maintaining their chemistry:

The duo first joked that they attend couples therapy once a week. But Matt went on to add, “I think Tim is inherently a generous person and very generous of spirit and he brings a real sense of play to the work. I try to do the same. I know he lifts me up on my off days.” Tim responded, “Oh, and you lift me up on my off days. No, listen, we have a blast. We have fun together, but in the end, we respect each other.”


Matt singing in season 2.5…

Matt will sing with Diahann Carroll in the episode “Countermeasures,” which will air on February 8^th. Matt said they sing “One For My Baby (and One More For the Road).”

Tim explained, “it was a great moment. It’s one of those moments on the set where— Matt has sung before around the set, just being goofy—but when he and Diahann sang that song everybody on set just got quiet because they had to rehearse it. The whole crew just went into a spontaneous applause. It was just one of those moments like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s neat.’ “

Matt further added, “Diahann is amazing. Diahann is obviously a legend and incredible and it was a real honor to get to sing with her.”
 
On the show’s mystery/mythology…

“Usually there are two questions people ask me about the show it’s, ‘What’s Mozzie’s fate?’ and ‘What’s going on with the music box?’ It’s exciting. I feel like I keep giving the same answer of ‘Oh, you won’t be disappointed, let me tell you—’ It’s very difficult. You want to answer it for these people, at least I do, so it’s difficult to evade that question all the time. I’ll be glad when it airs,” said Tim.

Matt chimed in, “Yes, I feel like we’re always sort of dancing around the secrets involved with the mythology of the show and that’s fun. That’s a fun aspect of it. Jeff (Eastin) is always outdoing himself as a writer and every time we get the mid-season finale or the finale script, we always look at each other and go, ‘Really?’ He’s almost like the writing equivalent of the guy at the party who takes the joke one step too far, but then that night you think about the joke and you realize it was actually really profound and kind of amazing. He’s incredible that way. He’s always surprising us. I don’t like to know too far ahead of time what’s going to happen because I like the element of surprise as well. Then I also don’t have to dance around the mystery quite as long.”

Anything they would like to see in the future?

“I would love to dip into Neal’s past a little bit more and maybe see some of his family members come into play and see what kind of conflicts that brings up between he and Peter. I wouldn’t mind seeing him be a little bit of a man-whore, to use a little bit of the James Bond tactics to maybe do whatever it takes to solve the case,” said Matt.

On this topic, Tim added, “I feel as far as character, I think Jeff and the writers have met everything that I had hoped for. I too, would like to delve into some more of Peter’s background. I think the more Peter and Neal know about each other, it actually strengthens and lengthens the relationship because these two just love to dig. Peter would love to meet a family member of Neal’s. He’d love to sit down and get to know his mom or dad or brother or sister.”


On working more with the ensemble cast…

Tim: “I certainly do and yet I like that in the end that it’s about Peter and Neal; that’s the base of it. I love it when Elizabeth gets involved with a case and I love that Diana is back and working on the case. She adds such an intelligence to it.”

Matt: “Yes and a sexiness.”

Tim: “I love that Jones is involved more and that Peter and Mozzie have found a way to dance together.”

Matt: “Yes. I think it makes the day really fun and it has added a lot to the show. It opens up a lot more relationships and we get to work with Hilarie, who brings so much to the table, and Gloria whose relationship is so different than that of Neal and Peter’s. It breaks things up. It’s more of a window into the character when you see how they behave with a lot of different people. It’s kind of fun to get to explore those relationship dynamics. At the end of the day, for me it always is fun just to kind of come back to home base and do a nice Peter and Neal walk and talk down the streets of New York.”


Preference for crossovers with USA shows…

Tim first responded, “Royal Pains because it’d just be nice to go out to the Hamptons for a few days. Then again, it would be nice to go down to Miami and shoot some things in Miami.”

Matt chimed in, “Yes, I think Burn Notice would be a really natural fit just because of the worlds that our characters live in and inhabit, but to be honest with you I love all the shows they have. It would be really fun and an honor to get to work with on any of them—to cross over on any of them.” Both added that it would be fun to take part in some World Wide Wrestling.

What to expect from season 2.5…

Tim at first stated, “you can expect commercials every 15 to 18 minutes.” He then added, “just more fun.” Matt said, “I think I can safely say that a lot of really big storylines that we’ve been exploring over the past couple of seasons really get brought to a head and closure on a lot of things. We get a glimpse into a lot of the characters’ pasts and see why they are who they are and how they got that way. We get to see, as usual, sort of a liquid trust dynamic between Peter and Neal. Then obviously also we get some resolution to Mozzie’s incident relatively quickly.”

Were they surprised by anything in season 2.5?

Tim explained that there was not anything that didn’t match up for him. While Matt said, “I think for me the way I met Mozzie and the way we sort of came to become friends was pleasantly surprising. I thought for some reason that maybe we’d gone back a little bit farther than that, but it was fun.”

Season 2.5 guest stars:

Paul Blackthorne, Hilarie Burton, Andrew McCarthy, Gloria Votsis, Alexandra Daddario, Diahann Carroll, Billy Dee Williams, Joe Sikora, Ross McCall, Adam Goldberg, James Rebhorn and Richard Schiff.

They both loved the season finale…*spoiler*

Matt revealed that, “All I can say is that in the last episode of the season I never—I mean, if you locked me in a padded room for five years and made me continually guess where this season was going to end I never would have come up with this. It was astounding and amazing and surprising and incredibly fun.”

Matt and Tim were extremely impressed with the last scene of the finale. Tim added, “Yes, when I read the last episode I did everything to not call my wife, my dad, just to say—”You won’t believe this. This is incredible.” So I didn’t, but yes. Yet, Jeff Eastin and the writers were able to shut the lid on the music box—no pun intended—and within one second turn around and open up this other one that just was astounding.”


Matt’s thoughts on Hilarie Burton plus Neal’s relationship with Sara Ellis…

Matt Bomer: “She (Hilarie Burton) brings so much to the role. She’s the real deal. She’s gorgeous, and she’s in it, and she has brought this amazingly intelligent, challenging, super Type-A character to life that Neal finds really intriguing and ultimately on some level I think wants to tame. It’s a really fun dynamic to get to play with her and she’s such a great actress. It’s really kind of moment to moment with her, which is always fun and keeps me on my toes. We have a lot of fun stuff that we get to do with each other and their relationship will grow and there will be a lot of tension there, maybe a little sexual frustration and then maybe some sexual frustration release; I don’t know. I’m just saying maybe.”


Ask each other a question…

Matt asked Tim, “What’s your favorite thing about Peter Burke and what’s something about Peter that no-one would guess?” Tim’s response: “My favorite thing about Peter Burke is that he has to nearly contain his giddiness when he’s on a case. He just loves it. That keeps him going. I’ve said it before, there is almost a little disappointment when the case is solved.”

Tim jokingly asked, “If Neal were a flower, which one?” They agreed that Neal would be a beautiful flower which “would lure you in and then it would be poisonous but only a very specific poison.” The duo then added the poison wouldn’t be lethal but would make you trip out for a couple of days, like a peyote flower.

If they were to sing a duet together…

Matt and Tim joked that they perform at weddings and bar mitzvahs plus that they couldn’t sing on the call because their booking agent would be unhappy. Tim began to recite lyrics (“Wherever he goes, whatever he does, we’ll always go through it together”) from “Together, Wherever We Go” by Bette Midler. They then agreed they would sing that song together.

This team of Tim and Matt or Peter and Neal doesn’t disappoint whether onscreen or off. They are so spontaneous, witty and charming. Make sure you tune in to see more of this premier partnership when White Collar returns on Tuesday, January 18^th at 10 PM on USA Network. If you’re not watching, you’re missing out.

An article from AfterElton

[Source]

Director of "Twelve Thirty" Says Jonathan Groff Couldn't Be More Believable Playing Straight
Posted by Michael Jensen, Editor on January 8, 2011

In an interview with Gay City News, Jeff Lipsky, the straight writer and director of the new drama Twelve Thirty, says out Broadway star Jonathan Groff is completely believable as a straight man. Says Lipsky:

"I'd not heard of Groff before casting," he said. "I saw 'Spring Awakening' after he left the cast. 'Taking Woodstock' was released after we cast 'Twelve Thirty.' Then 'Glee' came along. I didn't know of his fandom gathering critical mass. When I met and auditioned him, called him back, cast the film, and directed him, I had no idea he was gay. If he came out before the movie, I can't say if I would cast him or not. But I can't imagine another actor, straight or gay, who could be more believable or plausible."

The movie opens in New York next Friday and even though The Hollywood Reporter didn't particularly care for it, Groff is the only actor the reviewer did like.

Here is the movie's trailer.

I guess I don't like his quote, which I coloured in red. Jonathan was brilliant also in Glee.

Kevin Alejandro - AfterElton Interview

One of my favourite actors, Kevin Alejandro. Especially when he speaks Spanish, it makes me....
Here is an interview by Michael Jensen who is the chief, I suppose, editor of AfterElton. Original article is here.

Kevin Alejandro Played Gay So Many Times, We Had no Choice but to Interview Him
by Michael Jensen, Editor
June 10, 2010

We’re starting to think actor Kevin Alejandro is stalking us. Yes, the 34-year-old Texas native is straight, married to a woman and has a child, but the actor can’t seem to stop taking roles that simply compel us to write about him.
First he was on Big Love as a gay hustler, then he played Justin’s dad on Ugly Betty which included a wonderful scene where he stood up on a subway full of people to defend his “theatrical” son. Alejandro followed that up by starring in Southland which attracted our notice due to the presence of gay cop John Cooper, then next played a gay part on the reboot of Melrose Place, and now he has joined the cast of True Blood as the love interest for Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis).
Finally we had no choice but to cry “Uncle!” and do an interview with Kevin about his role as Jesus on True Blood and much more about this handsome and fascinating man.
AE: What was the casting process like for Jesus on True Blood?
KA: It was a pretty long one, actually. I probably went to four or five auditions here and there, and then finally the deciding audition, where they have what's called the chemistry read. It was down to four or five people, and they had us all come in there and read one at a time with Nelsan to see where the chemistry lay and who had it. You know, who fit with him. And I guess that was me.
AE: What sort of scene did they have you read for the chemistry test?
KA: It was a scene they made up and it was just sort of how we meet each other, like we met at a bar or something like that, and it was sort of flirty. You know, how can you flirt and to see what's real and not go over the top and that kind of thing. I can't remember the scene exactly, but we were playing darts in a bar … sort of back and forth, sort of chit-chat and sort of talking smack to each other. But in a flirty way, you know.
AE: Who were you up against for the part?
KA: They were really good about allotting a specific time so we wouldn't come and see who else ... there were a handful of us, though. So I didn't really see who I was up against which I like better, because I don't like to be intimidated.
AE: What can you tell us about Jesus?
KA: I can tell you pretty much what you already know, man. I am the love interest to Lafayette and we meet because I'm taking care of his mother in sort of a hospital. There's a strong connection between Jesus and Lafayette and all of that sort of unfolds throughout the season.

Nelsan Ellis as Lafayette and Alejandro as Jesus
in a scene from the upcoming season of True Blood.

AE: I know that the show is pretty tightlipped on what's going to happen, but can you tell me, was it love at first sight between Jesus and Lafayette?
KA: There's definitely a connection at first sight. You'll understand later why I say that. It's kind of one of those things where they explore throughout each episode. You see a lot unfold. You see it that way.
AE: Is Jesus an out gay guy, or is this something he discovers about himself? Can you say anything about that?
KA: I can't really tell you much about that. Sorry!
AE: Hey, I'm a journalist, I gotta try. Maybe you can't answer this question either, but again, True Blood can be pretty hot and heavy. Do the two of you end up kissing or having a romantic scene at some point?
KA: You are just gonna have to watch. Just remember: it's True Blood.
AE: Speaking of which, True Blood is known for being a rather erotic show and for getting its actors naked pretty frequently. Ryan Kwanten recently joked that he was going to be leaving the nudity up to the other actors this season. So I'm curious if you've been hitting the gym just in case.
KA: Oh dude, everybody on this show is hitting the gym. Because there's always that, “Oh man, it's gonna come, it's True Blood, it's coming. It's coming, it's coming!” So yeah, man, I've been going through some pretty hardcore exercising lately. But it's good, though, because I do it in general, but I had to step up my game a lot more especially being in a freaking show with a guy like Ryan, who looks like he was built by a woman.
AE: His body's kind of scary, isn't it?
KA: Yeah, it's ridiculous! I don't want to be in a scene with him with my shirt off.

AE: Despite your leading man looks, you’ve played a wide variety of parts. When you pick roles, are you purposefully going for this really wide range? You're certainly not getting typecast.
KA: A really good buddy of mine is my manager, and we really do kind of go through and see what the next step is. Like when True Blood came along, because Southland was still in the middle of, you know, trying to figure out what's going on … we both sat there and really thought about it: "You know, this would be a really good move...". So we do, man, we sit around and talk about, you know, what the next step is for us to take ... and so far, knock on wood, I feel like it's been working pretty well.

Alejandro as a gay hustler on Big Love

AE: What appealed to you and your manager about playing Jesus?
KA: Well, the fact that I hadn't done that yet. You know, you see a little hint here and there, you know, like in Melrose Place, there's a hint of gay. You know, with the hustler there was a different kind of ... like, an edgier guy. I'm not trying to give too much away about my True Blood character, but it was just different.
And all these actors are so great and to play opposite of Nelsan was a really big factor in our decision as well because he's such a solid actor. And that's what I love to do, I love to work with good people and it's just the whole formula. Alan Ball, being part of his company, his name has class and I want to be part of projects that are that way. So there's a whole lot of things that went into it, into the decision.
There's so much that happens to Jesus and there's a really nice arc that this character goes through. It's one of my most challenging roles. You'll see why, once it starts coming out. We'll do another one of these and you'll be, like, "Ah! I get it!"
AE: But part of the appeal was that it was a gay character?
KA: Yeah, because it's different. It was part of the appeal because I'm going straight from family man with kids, playing a detective in gang territory on Southland. We thought it would be a really nice balance and challenge to go from that to Jesus.

Alejandro as Justin's supportive dad Santos on Ugly Betty

AE: How many episodes have you done for True Blood so far?
KA: I was just trying to figure that out this morning. I think I've done ... I'm on episode eleven right now, so I think I've done nine episodes.
AE: So we see a fair bit of Jesus in the series.
KA: Oh yeah yeah, definitely.
AE: What was it like to work with Alfre Woodard and Nelsan?
KA: It's so great, dude, you know? I learn a lot working with Nelsan. And Alfre, the character she plays is great, and she has the opportunity to just sort of go someplace else that's completely not part of who Alfre is. You really see her focusing and really getting into what she's trying to create. It's a really fun, sort of crazy character.
I think the three of us make a really good team. 0

AE: True Blood is obviously a very zeitgeist-y show. What it's like to step onto a show that's got that much buzz about it?
KA: Actually, it's very intimidating. You go through, you do your thing, and you do the best you can and you get the role and it's exciting. And you know, for me it was the first day at the table read ? I was like, "Phew. Okay, now I have to prove to these people that I didn't just do a fluke audition."
You come in and you listen to all these great characters ? I mean, everyone on the show is a character actor ? they're so good at creating these people. It's quite a bit intimidating. I hope I can live up to it.
Then I have to force myself to get over it, like dude, get out of your head. You know, play with these people. That's the whole thing is I had to let myself go enough to be able to go toe to toe with these people, because they're not thinking about that. So yeah, very intimidating, but it's also a driving force to make me want to do better.
AE: A show like True Blood is so intense, I'm curious what the set is like. Is it a loose set and people have a lot of fun or is it pretty serious given the subject matter?
KA: To do a show like True Blood, you have to have a good time. Sometimes the hours are long and the weather's not right and schedules are changing here and there. It's one of the coolest groups of people I've had the opportunity to be part of. We play jokes on each other, we laugh, but when it comes down to it, we get it done. When we have to be serious we are serious. It's a pretty good balance of people and humor and everything.
AE: You recently appeared as part of Cyndi Lauper's Give a Damn campaign and I'm of curious how that came about.
KA: I was actually asked if I would do it and without a second thought I said absolutely. It sort of just came up. You know, I have a lot of gay friends and people who deal with these kind of issues, and so it's very close to my life and part of the world that I'm in. I was so honored that I could be part of something like that.
AE: As I mentioned before, you're a handsome man and your profile is going to go up considerably with this show. Are you prepared to be even more of a sex symbol? You’re going to get a lot of new gay fans.
KA: You know, I don't really think of it that way, but I'm prepared for anything that comes my way. I'm flattered by that kind of stuff. I'm just doing what I'm doing. You know ... it's such a hard question. I don't know about being a sex symbol, but we all like flattery.
AE: One last question and I'll let you go. You were on one of my favorite shows last year, Southland, and I'm curious about your status. Is Nate going to be back when the show comes back?
KA: Nate will be back when the show comes back. Yeah, he will. I read somewhere the other day that John Wells took a meeting and announced that I would be coming back. Because on True Blood I started out as a recurring and I got bumped up to a series regular...
AE: Oh, I didn't know that. Congratulations.
KA: Oh, thank you. So we're going to work something out where I'm going to be able to sort of float back and forth, you know, if all goes well by the end of this season.

Alejandro as Det. Nate Moretta on Southland

AE: Any other projects you have coming up?
KA: I'm just really hyped and excited for the premiere of True Blood. There's a movie called The Legend of Hell's Gate that people can look out for that a buddy of mine did. It's a western that a bunch of friends of mine and I did together. It's starting to get a little bit of hype.
True Blood returns Sunday, June 13th at 9 PM on HBO.

Temperamentals TalkOUTS - 11 Cheyenne Jackson & Michael Urie

One of my favourite actors, Michael Urie was in Temperamentals Talk OUTS

And an article from AfterElton.

Cheyenne Jackson and Michael Urie Rip "Newsweek"'s Ramin Setoodeh For "Gays Can't Play Straight" Article
by Wayman Wong

Cheyenne Jackson, Michael Urie

When asked to comment on Ramin Setoodeh's recent article about how openly gay actors can't convincingly play heterosexual roles, Cheyenne Jackson and Michael Urie straight-out called the Newsweek entertainment writer an ''asshole'' who's ''unconscionable.'' The two out actors were speaking at a talkback after Monday's performance of The Temperamentals, Jon Marans' acclaimed Off-Broadway play about early gay rights activists in the 1950s.
After moderator Frank DeCaro asked Jackson what he thought of Setoodeh's piece, the Broadway star of Finian's Rainbow and TV guest star of 30 Rock said:

It was infuriating on so many levels. Not only does [Setoodeh] say that a gay man can't play straight, he got personal, picking on Sean Hayes in Promises, Promises, [pointing out] certain scenes where he thinks [Sean] is stiff and uncomfortable. And then he picks on Jonathan Groff, who just came out. He's a young teen heartthrob [in Glee]. He's so talented and so delicious and needs our love and support. Instead, [Setoodeh] says he's not believable at all. It was very veiled self-loathing. Really upsetting.
Everytime we go forward, some asshole like this takes us back a bit. I was really glad that Kristin Chenoweth wrote what she did [in defense of her Promises, Promises co-star Sean Hayes and other openly gay actors]. She sent it to me before it went out and about. I was very proud of her. For me to stand up and say, 'F*ck you,' that's what you'd expect. But for someone like Kristin, she stands up for what she believes in and is very committed.

Urie, who stars in The Temperamentals as Viennese designer Rudi Gernreich, added:

Look, I'm not from f*cking Vienna. We're all actors, and the audiences get it. When I saw Sean Hayes in Promises, Promises, it was a full house and everyone was completely in love with him. And I saw it at a Wednesday matinee full of tourists. They've all seen Sean in Will & Grace, and they loved him and believed in his relationship with Kristin. It worked.
And to attack, to quote Ugly Betty, someone [like Groff] recently 'hatched from the gay egg' is unconscionable and he should strung be [up]. [Groff] made everyone want him in Spring Awakening. And Cheyenne was f*cking Elvis in All Shook Up. He was sexy and hot. He's always playing straight. And people buy tickets to see him. No straight critics accuse Sean Penn of not being able to play Harvey Milk or [criticize] Tom Hanks in Philadelphia.

Jackson added: ''That's because when straight actors play gay, they're so 'brave.' Why is it so f*cking 'brave'? It's a part and he's a good actor. I hope we can get to the day where the best actor gets the part. End of story.''
(Wong edits entertainment at the New York Daily News. From 2003-2006, he originated and wrote ''The Leading Men'' column for Playbill.com, and Jackson publicly came out in his Sept. 2004 profile of him.)

Kristin Chenoweth "Offended" by Ramin Setoodeh's Homophobic Article in "Newsweek" - AfterElton article

An article from AfterElton

Kristin Chenoweth "Offended" by Ramin Setoodeh's Homophobic Article in "Newsweek"
by Michael Jensen, Editor May 7, 2010

More than a week ago, I wrote an article lambasting Newsweek and their entertainment reporter Ramin Setoodeh for his article "Straight Jacket" which ruminated on the reasons why Setoodeh believed many gay actors couldn't play straight roles.

The reaction among AfterElton.com readers and others in the GLBT community was suitably outraged, but alas, the mainstream media didn't pay much attention.

That might be about to change now that Broadway and TV actress Kristin Chenoweth posted the following comment on Setoodeh's article over on Newsweek.com. Here is what Chenoweth had to say:

As a longtime fan of Newsweek and as the actress currently starring opposite the incredibly talented (and sexy!) Sean Hayes in the Broadway revival of “Promises, Promises,” I was shocked on many levels to see Newsweek publishing Ramin Setoodeh’s horrendously homophobic “Straight Jacket,” which argues that gay actors are simply unfit to play straight. From where I stand, on stage, with Hayes, every night — I’ve observed nothing “wooden” or “weird” in his performance, nor have I noticed the seemingly unwieldy presence of a “pink elephant” in the Broadway Theater. (The Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Tony members must have also missed that large animal when nominating Hayes’ performance for its highest honors this year.)

I’d normally keep silent on such matters and write such small-minded viewpoints off as perhaps a blip in common sense. But the offense I take to this article, and your decision to publish it, is not really even related to my profession or my work with Hayes or Jonathan Groff (also singled out in the article as too “queeny” to play “straight.”)

This article offends me because I am a human being, a woman and a Christian. For example, there was a time when Jewish actors had to change their names because anti-Semites thought no Jew could convincingly play Gentile. Setoodeh even goes so far as to justify his knee-jerk homophobic reaction to gay actors by accepting and endorsing that “as viewers, we are molded by a society obsessed with dissecting sexuality, starting with the locker room torture in junior high school.” Really? We want to maintain and proliferate the same kind of bullying that makes children cry and in some recent cases have even taken their own lives? That’s so sad, Newsweek! The examples he provides (what scientists call “selection bias”) to prove his “gays can’t play straight” hypothesis are sloppy in my opinion. Come on now!

Openly gay Groff is too “queeny” to play Lea Michelle’s boyfriend in GLEE, but is a “heartthrob” when he does it in Spring Awakening? Cynthia Nixon only “got away with it” ’cause she peaked before coming out? I don’t know if you’ve missed the giant Sex and the City movie posters, but it seems most of America is “buying it.” I could go on, but I assume these will be taken care of in your “Corrections” this week.

Similarly, thousands of people have traveled from all over the world to enjoy Hayes’ performance and don’t seem to have one single issue with his sexuality! They have no problem buying him as a love-torn heterosexual man. Audiences aren’t giving a darn about who a person is sleeping with or his personal life. Give me a break! We’re actors first, whether we’re playing prostitutes, baseball players, or the Lion King. Audiences come to theater to go on a journey. It’s a character and it’s called acting, and I’d put Hayes and his brilliance up there with some of the greatest actors period.

Lastly, as someone who’s been proudly advocating for equal rights and supporting GLBT causes for as long as I can remember, I know how much it means to young people struggling with their sexuality to see out & proud actors like Sean Hayes, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris and Cynthia Nixon succeeding in their work without having to keep their sexuality a secret. No one needs to see a bigoted, factually inaccurate article that tells people who deviate from heterosexual norms that they can’t be open about who they are and still achieve their dreams. I am told on good authority that Mr. Setoodeh is a gay man himself and I would hope, as the author of this article, he would at least understand that. I encourage Newsweek to embrace stories which promote acceptance, love, unity and singing and dancing for all!

This isn't the first time Setoodeh has written an article that many in the GLBT community have found to be offensive and poorly reasoned. I have previously contacted both Newsweek and Setoodeh to explain both his reasoning and ask Newsweek about their reasons for giving a platform to someone with such poorly written and thought out articles.

I never received a response. Perhaps Ms. Chenoweth's voice will be enough to finally prompt the weekly magazine to do us the courtesy of addressing our concerns.

(Note, I haven't been able to verify with 100% certainty that these comments were indeed left by Ms. Chenoweth, but she does appear to have tweeted out confirmation of this.)

Michael Urie Interview at GLAAD

Jonathan Del Arco

Jonathan Del Arco is playing the coroner Dr. Morales on "The Closer", one of my favourite shows, and I found this clip very recently. I knew he was gay, but I learnt it was true.

Matt Bomer (Matthew Bomer)

A photo of Matthew Bomer who was kissing to another man has been posted. He performed Luc in "Tru Calling", one of my favourite shows. I don't know how this happened, I think this sort of thing has to be respected as his will and right.
I understand being out is one of their steps of recognising rights of gays and lesbians for general, but there are a lot of circumstances and situations. I strongly agree with coming out is the best way to be who they are, if they could.
I don't know if he wanted to be out or not this time though, the publishist of him said "No Comment", according to some sources.
Even though he is living as openly gay in real life, I think it's different from publishing to all of the world.
According to Queerty, he is not hiding as being gay, but he didn't want to announce it because he thought it'd make some limits for him to be an actor. I totally understand it. I saw many interviews that out gay actors were asked if it was easy for them to play gay characters, because they were gay. Wait a minute, do they ask straight people if it is easy when they play straight characters? Ridiculous.
Further more reading, one of his friends says he doesn't care if it becomes open, but posting picture is hurting him so he asks admins of Queerty and other some websites to delete the picture, especially Perez Hilton. Ah, again Perez.