Jason Collins became the first currently-active, currently-employed NBA player to come out of the closet yesterday. Collins did it in a thoughtful yet spectacular way, by writing a beautiful and epic first-person essay (that served as Sports Illustrated’s cover story) about why he’s coming out now, and his journey to get to this place in his life. The 34-year-old center, currently playing for the Washington Wizards, has become the most talked-about person in the country over the past 24 hours. And I’ve been stunned by the outpouring of support for Collins, from politicians, from reporters and mostly from Collins’ fellow pro athletes. Even Chelsea Clinton – a classmate of Collins’ at Stanford back in the day – tweeted her support for her friend. Pres. Obama called Collins to express his support too. And this is how the world changes.

You can read Jason’s full Sports Illustrated essay here, and I’m including some highlights below:

I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.

I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, “I’m different.” If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand. My journey of self-discovery and self-acknowledgement began in my hometown of Los Angeles and has taken me through two state high school championships, the NCAA Final Four and the Elite Eight, and nine playoffs in 12 NBA seasons.

…The first relative I came out to was my aunt Teri, a superior court judge in San Francisco. Her reaction surprised me. “I’ve known you were gay for years,” she said. From that moment on I was comfortable in my own skin. In her presence I ignored my censor button for the first time. She gave me support. The relief I felt was a sweet release. Imagine you’re in the oven, baking. Some of us know and accept our sexuality right away and some need more time to cook. I should know — I baked for 33 years.

… I realized I needed to go public when Joe Kennedy, my old roommate at Stanford and now a Massachusetts congressman, told me he had just marched in Boston’s 2012 Gay Pride Parade. I’m seldom jealous of others, but hearing what Joe had done filled me with envy. I was proud of him for participating but angry that as a closeted gay man I couldn’t even cheer my straight friend on as a spectator. If I’d been questioned, I would have concocted half truths. What a shame to have to lie at a celebration of pride. I want to do the right thing and not hide anymore. I want to march for tolerance, acceptance and understanding. I want to take a stand and say, “Me, too.”

The recent Boston Marathon bombing reinforced the notion that I shouldn’t wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect. Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully? When I told Joe a few weeks ago that I was gay, he was grateful that I trusted him. He asked me to join him in 2013. We’ll be marching on June 8.

No one wants to live in fear. I’ve always been scared of saying the wrong thing. I don’t sleep well. I never have. But each time I tell another person, I feel stronger and sleep a little more soundly. It takes an enormous amount of energy to guard such a big secret. I’ve endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie. I was certain that my world would fall apart if anyone knew. And yet when I acknowledged my sexuality I felt whole for the first time. I still had the same sense of humor, I still had the same mannerisms and my friends still had my back.

… My maternal grandmother was apprehensive about my plans to come out. She grew up in rural Louisiana and witnessed the horrors of segregation. During the civil rights movement she saw great bravery play out amid the ugliest aspects of humanity. She worries that I am opening myself up to prejudice and hatred. I explained to her that in a way, my coming out is preemptive. I shouldn’t have to live under the threat of being outed. The announcement should be mine to make, not TMZ’s.

The hardest part of this is the realization that my entire family will be affected. But my relatives have told me repeatedly that as long as I’m happy, they’re there for me. I watch as my brother and friends from college start their own families. Changing diapers is a lot of work, but children bring so much joy. I’m crazy about my nieces and nephew, and I can’t wait to start a family of my own.

… My one small gesture of solidarity was to wear jersey number 98 with the Celtics and then the Wizards. The number has great significance to the gay community. One of the most notorious antigay hate crimes occurred in 1998. Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student, was kidnapped, tortured and lashed to a prairie fence. He died five days after he was finally found. That same year the Trevor Project was founded. This amazing organization provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention to kids struggling with their sexual identity. Trust me, I know that struggle. I’ve struggled with some insane logic. When I put on my jersey I was making a statement to myself, my family and my friends.

[From Sports Illustrated]

It’s a really beautifully written essay, and I would suggest everyone just read the whole thing. I loved the part about him coming out to his ex-roommate who happens to be a current Congressman, and how they’re going to walk at the Pride Parade together this year.

I love all of the reactions from various public figures too. Michelle Obama tweeted, “So proud of you, Jason Collins! This is a huge step forward for our country. We’ve got your back! –mo”. You can read more reactions here. Huzzah!

Photos courtesy of Sports Illustrated.

Bret Easton Ellis was once known as a brilliant writer who possessed a deliciously biting satiric wit and penned fabulous (if ultimately disturbing) novels such as Less Than Zero and American Psycho that were adapted into iconic films. These days, Bret is best known for getting sh-tfaced drunk and launching into (sometimes) offensive Twitter tirades that, by his own admission, have the end result of creating fallout that transforms him into a couch-bound depressive. Well, he still does other stuff too like pen the screenplay for The Canyons, which starred Lindsay Lohan — enough said.

One wonders exactly why Bret continues to engage within drunken Twitter trainwrecks of the solo variety. Most recently, he was called out for his sexists tweets about director Kathryn Bigelow, whom he insisted “would be considered a mildly interesting filmmaker if she was a man but since she’s a very hot woman she’s really overrated.” Bret followed up with “if The Hurt Locker” had been directed by a man it would not have won the Oscar for best director.” He later admitted to being drunk and sort of apologized by way of pointing out that he’s a gay male and therefore a member of a persecuted class, so this should have a huge impact on how we interpret his still-sexist words.

Now Bret has gone and offended the gay community through a series of tweets that span the past few years. One such example (and I’ll list more at the bottom of this post) occurred in April 2011 wherein he stated that watching “Glee” is like “stepping into a puddle of HIV.” While Bret’s words in the above instance are so forthright and politically incorrect that they’re almost amusing, GLAAD was decidedly not impressed by what they perceived as a “callous” public stance on the LGBT community. So they disinvited (or rather, banned) Bret from the GLAAD Media Awards, and of course Bret expressed his displeasure on Twitter. In response to the ban, he tweeted, “As a gay man in a domestic partnership who plans to get married, I’m sad to hear I’ve been banned by GLAAD from attending tomorrow’s event. GLAAD is supposedly ‘furious’ about my tweets. And I’m guessing not the ones concerning my boyfriend or how sexy I think Adam Driver is.”

Bret further alleged that he was specifically warned not to tweet his feelings on the ban: “After GLAAD banned me they told the friend who was bringing me to the event to WARN ‘Bret not to go public or TWEET about this decision.‘”

Bret then went on to state his disgust at GLAAD’s choice of Bill Clinton as winner of the Advocate for Change Award by pointing out that Clinton signed DOMA and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell while also cheating on Hillary (not sure what that last one has to do with gay people, but whatever).

Naturally, Bret’s tweets put the media on bemused alert, and GLAAD defended its decision with the following rationale:

GLAAD’s Vice President of Communications Rich Ferraro told EW, “Given the crude remarks [Bret's] made about the gay community and people living with HIV/AIDS, this publicity stunt is not surprising.”

The organization revealed that it has attempted to rectify its issues with him and his insensitive comments previously, but he has failed to respond to its requests. “GLAAD spoke with the guest who was planning to bring Bret about his recent remarks, which the gay community responded negatively to. We also asked for a time to sit down with Bret and planned to invite other leaders in the gay community as well as the HIV/AIDS community,” Ferraro said. “The guest replaced Bret at the fundraiser and there has been no response from Bret regarding the meeting. It is a shame and disservice to the gay community that Bret appears to be trying to overshadow the high-profile allies, including Betty White, Chris Evans, Kelly Rowland and so many others who used the event to show their support for LGBT people and advocated for equality in the Boy Scouts, marriage and across the country.”

[From Popwatch]

Among the tweets that offended GLAAD enough to ban Bret from attending the ceremony were an August 2012 tweet where he declared Matt Bomer to be a terrible choice for 50 Shades of Grey: “Okay I’ll say it. Matt Bomer isn’t right for Christian Grey because he is openly gay. He’s great for other roles but this is too big a game.”

Bret has also stated that “The New Normal” (which was honored by GLAAD) is “a gay minstrel show” that features Andrew Ranell, who “makes Sean Hayes in Will & Grace seem like Jason Statham in just about anything.” Damn, dude.

What are we to make of all of this? Bret Easton Ellis obviously fancies himself a drunken artisan of politically incorrect tweets, which is fine. However, Bret doesn’t realize that GLAAD has the right to be offended at whatever remarks it chooses to be offended by, and just because Bret is gay, that doesn’t mean that GLAAD will necessarily embrace him as a representative of their causes. Like, the dude really thinks that being gay means he can say whatever he wants without repercussion, and he doesn’t realize that while he’s free to express his opinions, not everyone has to embrace them as a stellar example of humanity, gay or otherwise.

Photos courtesy of Bret Easton Ellis on Facebook and Twitter

A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing movies on demand through all the crap I subscribe to and picked a mindless romcom, What’s Your Number. I was treated to scenes of Joel McHale’s bare ass within the first ten minutes, which was a true score for me. (The movie itself wasn’t worthwhile except for some great guest appearances by McHale, Martin Freeman and Anthony Mackie.) I screamed and immediately emailed Kaiser and Bedhead about it. So that’s why I get first dibs on Joel McHale stories. I love him so much and am a huge “Community” fan. (Although it’s getting weak lately, right? I didn’t see last night’s episode yet though.)

McHale’s latest interview, in The Advocate, elevates my opinion of him and I didn’t think that was possible. The entire interview is worth reading, but in the interest of brevity I’m using some excerpts that The Advocate people sent. Go over to their site to read it, it’s worth it. Joel is a very attractive, well-dressed, quick-witted guy and he’s often mistaken for a gay man. He’s kind of flattered by it, though, and says that anyone who is offended by that has something wrong with him. Was he subtly throwing shade on Ryan Seacrest? (Probably not, Ryan is sort-of cool about it too.) Joel has been married for 16 years and has two boys, and he doesn’t mind the gay rumors at all:

The A-List Interview: Joel McHale
The snarky and stylish Community star and The Soup host talks dude crushes, flirtatious gay fans, and the big thing he has in common with Michael Fassbender. Whether he’s cracking wise as host of The Soup or as vain ex-lawyer Jeff Winger on the wacky community college-set sitcom Community, now in its fourth season on NBC, Joel McHale looks good enough to be mistaken for gay. Is it any wonder that men throw themselves at him?

On his boy crush:
Ooh, boy, I have so many. Josh Gad. Brian Williams. Patrick Stewart. Nathan Fillion. Kobe Bryant. Chaz Bono.

On the gay rumors about him because he’s well dressed:
Oh, I still see that on Twitter every day. It’s flattering. I always find it really weird when guys flip out over someone thinking they might be gay. If a guy gets offended by that, there’s something’s wrong with him. I take it as a compliment.

On his shirtless Community scenes:
…I’ll do anything for ratings. I mean, was Michael Fassbender exploited when he did Shame? Because it’s exactly the same thing.

On the support of his gay fans:
Community needs all the help it can get, so thank God for our gay fans. Our young gay fans especially are the loudest and most Internet-savvy. That also speaks to the quality of our show, which I think is highly intelligent.

[From The Advocate]

Kaiser especially loved that Fassbender quote. Oh and I have to mention that Joel was semi-nude in the DVD extras for Ted. (I have to see that, gah.) I would tell you to Google it, but I can share Joel in theory and it’s not NSFW or anything, so here you go. I love that this guy is so cool about his gay fanbase, I wish everyone thought this way. I’ll include one additional quote from this interview that I can’t pass up.

What’s the best way for a straight man to handle [getting hit on in a gay bar]?
“Just a very quick, courteous bl*wjob.”

Joel and his lucky wife in January. I would say something rude, but I can’t. They look sweet like they belong together.

Other gratuitous photos

Update! By request, here are photos of Joel and his wife, Sarah Williams, with their two boys in 2011.

Photo credit: NBC, Emmy Mag and WENN.com

I’ll be perfectly honest here and just admit that Snoop Dogg is freaking my sh-t out lately. These are some photos of him in Vegas where he performed as his new, reggae-oriented alter ego, Snoop Lion, and I just can’t get used to the idea. Have you seen Snoop’s recent (Eli Roth-directed) video for “La La La”? I actually asked Eli if he was high when he directed it, and he replied that he certainly was not, but I think there’s a possibility that he was rendered permanently high merely by hanging with Snoop. It’s fairly obvious that a whole lot of something illicit went into the making of that video.

At any rate, Snoop is no stranger to playing around in different musical genres even though most of us will always think of him as a rapper. A few years ago, he recorded a duet with Willie Nelson and was later nominated for a CMA for another collaboration with Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. Now Snoop is tackling reggae because he sees it as a more positive outpouring of music than rap and one that fits his current state of mind as a parent and family man. Odd, right?

Well it seems that Snoop Lion requires a hard sell, so Snoop has been doing some interviews to discuss his new outlook on almost everything (except weed, which he still loves with reckless abandon). As such, he’s giving all sorts of interviews on his reinvention as a “peace-loving Lion” and “reggae-singing messenger of hope.” Gone are the days of guns, misogyny, and pimping. He also recently came out during a talk with HuffPo as a supporter of gay marriage by saying, “People can do what they want and as they please. Satisfy yourself accordingly. I have no issues with nobody. I live for me and I live my life doing what I do, so you should have the right to do whatever you want to do.” Snoop further elaborates in an interview with the Guardian about how he is totally cool with gay marriage, but he doesn’t think that rap music as a whole will ever get there:

Why the change to Snoop Lion? “I wanted to make songs about the life I’m living now as a father and as a 41-year-old man, as opposed to always talking about my childhood and my upbringing. I don’t think it could have worked through rap because of my branding. I branded Snoop Dogg to be what he is, and it’s too late to change the brand. Gangsta. West coast, from the hood. Speaking for the lost generation — the gangstas, the drug dealers. And I did it 21 years straight, faithfully, till I couldn’t do it any more. Finally I’m able to say I’m comfortable with doing what I do. And I love doing it. And I’m going to keep doing it. If I don’t make another rap record for the next year or two or three, or however long it takes, it don’t bother me because I’m trying to make music that feels good.”

On his new song, “No Guns Allowed”: “We keep hearing about schools getting shot up, venues being shot up, public places being shot up, and we have to address that. Who better to do it than me because I come from the gangsta lifestyle, carrying a gun every day of the week lifestyle?”

His move to Rastafarianism: “I used to answer hate with hate. Like if you hate me, I hate you more. But now I answer hate with love.”

His attitude towards women has changed: “Yeah, because I was making music for me, speaking from my perspective. I was taught that a bitch is a ho and a ho was a bitch, so my music represented that, until I got to the point where I wanted to show love and appreciation for the woman.”

His take on homosexuality: “I don’t have a problem with gay people. I got some gay homies. Yeah, for real. People who were gay used to get beat up. It was cool to beat up on gay people back then. But in the 90s and 2000s, gay is a way of life. Just regular people with jobs. Now they are accepted, not classified. They just went through the same things we went through as black.”

He admits rap music isn’t so accepting in general: “Frank Ocean ain’t no rapper. He’s a singer. It’s acceptable in the singing world, but in the rap world I don’t know if it will ever be acceptable because rap is so masculine. It’s like a football team. You can’t be in a locker room full of motherf–king tough-ass dudes, then all of a sudden say, ‘Hey, man, I like you.’ You know, that’s going to be tough.”

His shoutout to the royals: “I wanna shoot a shout-out to my homeboys in London: the princes, Harry and William. You know I raised them on this music of mine. They were groomed on me. How you think the Queen like that? But I’m a part of their revolt. They were at that age when my music spoke to them.”

Is he still a fan of Obama? “Yeah, I love Obama. How could I not love him? This motherf–ker got three states smoking weed legally now. And they talk about getting Texas, too. If we can get Texas, goddamn it, it’s a wrap. That’s what our president did for us.”

[From Guardian]

Isn’t it strange how Snoop was once a for-real gangster with the Crips, but now he’s actually written and recorded an anti-violence, anti-gun song with his daughter? I guess a dogg can change his spots. He seems perfectly aware that he is necessarily rebranding himself, but what Snoop says does seem sincere. I mean, he’s not trying to pull a fast one. He owns up to his past and admits that it will always be a part of him, but he wants to be more positive now in his music and the way he influences other people. Is it working?

Oh, and Snoop is currently collaborating with Miley Cyrus on her new album. I’ve tried to be patient and wait for the music to actually come out before judging, but I will admit to feeling fearful that Miley’s new album will be an unmitigated disaster. Maybe she (and Snoop) will prove me wrong though — one can only hope.

Just for kicks, here’s that “La La La” video I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Beware: You might get a contact high merely from watching it.

Photos courtesy of WENN

Earlier this week, TMZ posted a video in which one of their photographers was interviewing Magic Johnson’s 20 year-old son, EJ, on the Sunset Strip with his boyfriend. EJ was very friendly the pap, who asked him about the remodeling of the Staples Center in LA. (I think.) It was clear that EJ was gay and out with his boyfriend, who reminded me of a young Robert Pattinson but with fluffier hair. In response, Magic Johnson issued a very nice statement to TMZ about how he and his wife supported their son and were proud of him. It gave me the warm and fuzzies. He wrote: “Cookie and I love EJ and support him in every way. We’re very proud of him.”

Now TMZ has posted interview segments with Magic about the response to their video of his son, and if I wasn’t choked up before I sure am now. Magic said so many wise, kind things that it’s hard to do his words justice, and I would suggest that you watch the videos on TMZ.

On giving EJ “The Talk”
Magic said that he’s known “for a long time” that EJ was gay, and that he told AEJ at the age of 13 that they loved and supported him. At that point EJ came out to his parents. Magic said that his goal during that conversation was to talk with his son about the birds and bees and protecting himself, and about how he would deal with any fallout from friends and family. One thing he said that really stuck with me is that “We are here to support you. We are going to love you no matter who you are or what you do. We just want you to love yourself and also make sure that you have all the information.”

All of this was a big relief to EJ, who was worried about how his dad would take it. Throughout his talk with TMZ, the love and admiration Magic had for his son came through. He said. “I love EJ so much, that’s my main man. I told him ‘Nothing has changed, I just want to help you along the way. A lot of people are going to be happy for you. Then some won’t understand. You have to remember, always talk to me, always talk to your mother and we’ll just help you along the way.‘”

On the attacks against his son
Magic was also asked about some negative responses online and he focused on the positive. “I don’t care who is attacking my son. I’m going to still support him, I’m going to still love him… As I told him once he comes out, ‘expect some of this.’” He also added that religion plays a role in anti-gay sentiment, but said that he and his wife go to church every Sunday. “So we’re involved in that, but we’re going to support our son, we’re going to love our son… If people can’t understand that’s on them..”

How his HIV diagnosis helped him understand
A little later, Magic explained how his own HIV diagnosis over 20 years ago helped him understand where his son was coming from. “I’ve been in the gay movement for a long time because of HIV and AIDS with me. So I’ve seen young men who are black who couldn’t come out, who couldn’t tell their parents, they were fearful… so now it’s my son now, and so I’m hoping they understand. This is the year 2013. We should stop discriminating against people and just support him… I think is going to be good for a lot of black young people who want to come out.”

On how this is a positive thing
As for TMZ posting the video of EJ, Magic said it was a good thing. “I have to say that TMZ really helped him. This was a good moment for us as a family and a greater moment for him. He’s just the bubbly kid we knew again and he’s just happy he’s out… I’m behind him a million percent. This is really wonderful for him.”

“I told EJ this is going to be bigger than you… You’re not going to know your impact, but you’re going to have an impact.”

There’s another interview on TMZ in which Magic, who owns the LA Dodgers, talks about athletes possibly coming out. He said that no one has come out to him personally, but friends and family of gay athletes have asked him for advice. He is of course going to support anyone who comes out on his team. Magic is setting an incredible example for the gay community, for parents of gay kids and for gay people in professional sports particularly. (Of which there have been precious few to come out publicly.) I was so impressed by this interview and by what a stand-up guy he is. Kudos to TMZ for doing this interview with Magic.

Here’s the video with RJ Johnson. TMZ has the videos of Magic’s interview.

Magic Johnson is shown in February and March with his wife of 22 years, Cookie. Credit: WENN and FameFlynet

This is one of the most bizarre stories I’ve ever heard. OK, some background: back in late 2011, Brett Ratner (douchey director of such films as Rush Hour & X3) was set to produce the 2012 Oscars with Eddie Murphy as host. During the lead up to the Oscars, Brett Ratner was giving interviews to promote Tower Heist when he made any number of offensive, misogynistic, bigoted and crude statements. The one statement that got the widest coverage was an aside he made at a Q&A session in which he said, “Rehearsal is for f-gs.” Yes. He said that. So after everyone condemned him for that statement (and not for any of the wildly misogynistic things he said), Brett resigned from the Oscars and made an epic apology to the Academy and to GLAAD. Skip ahead a year and a half, and Mr. Rehearsal-Is-For-F-gs is now getting a GLAAD Award. Ratner: “Rehearsal is for f-gs.” GLAAD: “Totally.”

A year and a half after a gay slur effectively cost him a gig producing the Oscars, Brett Ratner has come full circle. The director has been tapped to receive the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s inaugural Ally Award as part of the watchdog group’s 24th annual Media Awards on March 16 in New York, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

“Out of anybody I’ve ever worked with, Brett has been the most humble and willing to put his money and actions where his mouth is,” GLAAD president Herndon Graddick tells THR. “In terms of an ally and what someone can do after an incident that was negative like that, I’ve never worked with someone who displayed such genuine interest in helping the community. There’s no one who deserves this more than Brett does. GLAAD’s interest is in bringing allies in to join us in our fight for total equality, and he really did that. I now consider him a friend.”

At the event, the director also will premiere the GLAAD “Coming Out for Equality” public service announcement campaign he oversaw. The PSA series features a diverse group of straight celebrities and athletes “coming out of the closet” as supporters of equality and calling for other Americans to speak out. Participants include Charlie Sheen, Jackie Chan, Tamala Jones (Castle), Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis and NCIS’ Pauley Perrette, among others. The videos are set for release this month.

“I have long been a supporter of equal rights for everyone,” Ratner said. “So, when Herndon and the folks at GLAAD asked me to partner with them on this PSA campaign, I jumped at the opportunity. I have always been an admirer of GLAAD. They do meaningful and effective work in the fight to secure equality for everyone, and I am very humbled that they are honoring me with this Ally Award.”

GLAAD plans to present the Ally Award to others in the future, when appropriate. The prize is similar to the special recognition honors that the group has presented in the past. Last year, GLAAD Harvey Weinstein presented a special award to Katy Butler, a teenager who spearheaded a petition to move the MPAA rating of the documentary Bully from R to PG-13.

For Ratner, the award comes nearly six months after Ratner spoke at the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network’s Respect Awards, where he addressed his controversial remarks and the importance of the group’s “Think Before You Speak” ad campaign, for which he and director Tom Ford also created a PSA.

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

For what it’s worth, it does sound like Brett Ratner was appropriately and consistently abject in his apologies and it does seem like he’s spent the last year and a half doing a lot of good work with GLAAD. I never would have thought this… but Brett might actually deserve the Ally Award?! What the what? I have to say, I like this new movement from GLAAD and other gay-rights organizations to focus more on persuasion, acceptance and forgiveness for people who have said or done things to hurt the gay community. The messaging is wildly consistent.

I have an opening line for Brett for his acceptance speech. Here’s a free one, Brett: “Gay, straight, bisexual and transgendered people, can we all agree on one thing? We all want to do Rachel Maddow. Amirite?”

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Did you know that the Boy Scouts of America still discriminate against gay men? Not just gay men – they discriminate against atheists too, but that’s a discussion for another time. As far as I know, the Boy Scouts (as an organization, and through the leadership of various chapters) has always rejected gay Scouts and Scout leaders, openly banning them from the organization. But over the past decade, the Boy Scouts have dug in their heels more and more, refusing to change their policies, and some high profile politicians and celebrities have been highly critical of those policies. One celebrity in recent memory was Steven Spielberg, who resigned from the board of the BSoA in 2001. Now Carly Rae Jepsen has withdrawn from a scheduled performance at the 2013 National Scouting Jamboree in July after Change.org publicly pressured her to drop out:

Urged on by tens of thousands of petitioners, Carly Rae Jepsen has backed out as a headliner of a Boy Scouts of America concert this summer, saying the Scouts’ ban on gay members conflicts with her personal beliefs.

Jepsen, 27, was one of two headlining acts scheduled to play at the 2013 National Scouting Jamboree in West Virginia in July.

In a tweet Tuesday morning, the Canadian singer said she couldn’t participate in an event held by a group with an anti-gay agenda.

The other headlining act, the band Train, has not backed out – but has promised to cancel if the Scouts fail to overturn the ban at a scheduled vote on the matter in May.

Jepsen was apparently swayed by a petition at Change.org started by gay Eagle Scout Derek Nance that specifically urged her not to play the concert. Nance’s petition has garnered more than 60,000 signatures.

“I came out as gay because I realized the best way to help end this dangerous policy is to stand up, speak out and tell the organization I love to do the right thing,” Nance said in a statement.

“A Scout is brave, and I’m thrilled that Carly Rae and Train have joined me in standing up for what is right,” the statement continued. “I hope the Boy Scouts of America also choose to be brave this May.”

[From People]

I think this is a good sign for gay rights in general, and I admire Carly Rae for choosing what was probably a difficult option. I mean, she was going to be screwed either way – if she chose to ignore the petition, she would have been raked over the coals by her gay fans and the gay community. Now that she’s withdrawn, she’ll be raked over the coals by conservative groups and her conservative, “family-friendly” fans. Still, I think it’s wonderful that a young woman with absolutely ZERO political edge is throwing down a specific gauntlet about treating people equally.

Incidentally, did you know that the Girl Scouts of America is super-friendly to the gay community? They actively educate their Girl Scouts about gay and lesbian role models and they’ve been active in anti-bullying campaigns of transgendered youth too. Girl Scouts ROCK!

Also: here’s that Carly Rae/Nine Inch Nail remix/splice or whatever. It’s actually kind of awesome.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

James Franco might very well be one of the most annoyingly pretentious actors on the planet with his manner of speaking in Petrarchian sonnets and tendency to declare his own butt to be “art,” but he did a decent thing that I’ll get to in just a bit. For the moment, however, I wanted to touch upon a recent Franco interview in which he admitted that the rumors concerning his sexuality are mostly his fault because he admits that he’s cultivated the resulting intrigue as “part of my public image.” Further, James has stirred the pot not only by playing gay characters in Howl and Milk but also by stating “Maybe I’m just gay” when asked.

For the record, I don’t think that James Franco is either gay or bisexual. Instead, I think he consistently manipulates his own image in his usual artsy-fartsy way, and he truly thinks that appearing sexually ambiguous will make him look like more of an artist. I think that Franco is totally straight and just messing with everyone, and if I were a gay man, I’d probably be at least a little bit offended.

Enough of my theories though, for James has gone and done something decent. If you’ll remember, Franco recently co-directed a movie called Interior. Leather Bar with Travis Mathews. The movie was a reimagining of gay S&M footage that was inspired by a so-called missing reel from 1980′s Cruising, and it didn’t make any waves at Sundance this year, but now Mathews has gone on to promote another movie featuring gay sex at several Aussie gay film festivals. Unfortunately, Australia has banned the film from even screening at these gay-leaning festivals due to sexual content, and Franco thinks this is utter crap. For once, the dude actually has a point:

James Franco is speaking out against Australia’s ban on I Want Your Love, the new gay-themed film directed by Travis Mathews.

In a new video originally posted by Out Magazine, Franco, who collaborated with Mathews on Interior. Leather Bar., calls the Australian Classification Board’s decision to yank the film from planned screenings at gay film festivals in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane “really silly” and “very short-sighted.”

Noting that “sex in films hasn’t had a chance to grow and become a sophisticated storytelling device,” Franco adds, “Frankly, adults should be able to choose … I don’t know why in this day and age, something like this…is being banned. It’s just embarrassing.”

According to its official website, I Want Your Love tells the story of a young gay man in San Francisco who prepares to return to his Midwestern roots. “Torn between his creative dreams and the reality of earning a living, he’s forced to take responsibility by redefining what it means to be an artist, a gay man, and an adult,” a synopsis reads.

Mathews served as co-director and screenwriter of Interior. Leather Bar., which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

“Every f–king love story is a dude that wants to be with a girl, and the only way they’re going to end up happy is if they walk off into the sunset together,” Franco told Entertainment Weekly before the premiere of his film. “I’m f–king sick of that s–t. So if there’s a way for me to just break that up in my own mind, I’m all for it.”

[From HuffPo]

Here’s a video clip of Franco’s statement on Australia’s ban of Travis Mathews’ film. Franco is clearly sticking up for his friend and co-director here, but he also speaks some common sense. How strange for James Franco to open his mouth without trying to make himself sound like the smartest man in the universe!

Photos courtesy of WENN

Daniel Radcliffe, who is all of 23 now, stars as beat poet Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings, a true-story about a 1944 murder that “brought together the three beat generation authors, Ginsburg (Radcliffe), Kerouac (Jack Huston) and Burroughs (Ben Foster), when they were still just awkward students at college.” I got that explanation from this video interview with the writer-director, John Krokidas, who went on to explain that “the emotional aftermath of that murder is what provided them the creative spark to go on and decide to be artists.” That was the first time the three authors had met. (More background on the film is here.)

Anyway Ginsberg was a gay man, and Kill Your Darlings features a gay sex scene starring Daniel Radcliffe. The film had its premiere at Sundance recently, and Radcliffe is fielding questions about it. True to his ongoing support of the gay community, Radcliffe is incredibly cool about it when he’s asked about the gay love scenes in the movie. This is what you would expect from a straight guy who was on the cover of Out Magazine, but it’s still really nice to hear. I’m going to quote Extra! here because they’ve compiled quotes from two different interviews with Radcliffe:

Radcliffe has a particularly steamy sex scene in the John Krokidas-directed film that has everyone talking, especially after it premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

“It was something new,” Radcliffe told E! Online. “But you know what, we shot that whole scene in maybe an hour and a half, so it was incredibly fast-paced. I didn’t really have time to stop to think and worry about it.”

Radcliffe also spoke with MTV News about the scene, saying, “It’s interesting that it’s deemed shocking. For me, there’s something very strange about that because we see straight sex scenes all the time. We’ve seen gay sex scenes before. I don’t know why a gay sex scene should be any more shocking than a straight sex scene. Or both of them are equally un-shocking.”

“What weirded me out the most last night was people were asking me all these questions about the gay sex scenes. I was like, ‘You know I did ‘Equus?’ ” Radcliffe laughed. “Some people are asking me questions like this is a more shocking subject, which is so strange.”

[From Extra and MTV]

MTV interviewer Josh Horowitz goes on to point out that this is Radcliffe’s first on-screen sex scene. Radcliffe gets a little flustered and admits that “it was new.” He also clarifies that his sex scene wasn’t with Dane DeHaan, who plays the murderer Lucien Carr. So who was it with, exactly? I haven’t seen it in print and guess that it’s a big spoiler. Also E! has a funny story about how their correspondent told Radcliffe that his straight female friend found the scene arousing. Right after that Radcliffe went over to director Krokidas and said “I told you girls were going to be into it.” We are! The good news is that Kill Your Darlings was acquired, by Sony Pictures Classics, and should be available in theaters at some point.

Here’s Radcliffe’s interview with MTV’s awesome Josh Horowitz:

These are photos from the Sundance premiere of Kill Your Darlings on 1-19-13. Radcliffe is shown with the director (dark hair, glasses) and with Dean DeHaan. Credit: WENN He’s also shown on the set of the film, in March and April in NY. Credit: Pacific Coast News. Spoiler maybe (highlight to see although this is futile since the image is below) He’s shown hugging Jack Huston, who plays Jack Kerouac

Looking at the post-Globes coverage on our site and other sites, I think I’m probably the only person in the world who wasn’t moved by Jodie Foster’s “coming out” speech, mostly because she didn’t come out, and she seemed to be throwing shade on everyone in the room who does come out publicly and who didn’t meet up to her exacting standards of privacy (privacy standards… and nothing else). Like, Jodie Foster will judge you harshly for having a Twitter account and for talking about your boyfriend on Facebook. But if you want to be a rabid anti-Semite who beats the hell out of your baby-mama, Jodie will totally be BFFs with you.

Anyway, in the wake of Jodie’s “coming out but not really,” it seems that another Hollywood star – a guy who, much like Jodie, we’ve known about their sexuality for years – has decided to formally come out of the glass closet. That man? Victor Garber!

While Jodie Foster made her sexual orientation a public spectacle at the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills Jan. 13, Titanic actor Victor Garber quietly confirmed that he’s gay in an interview with Greg in Hollywood blogger Greg Hernandez.

Garber — best known for his roles in the movies Argo, Legally Blonde, Milk, The First Wives Club and Sleepless in Seattle — addressed his homosexuality during the TV Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. in early January.

Hernandez asked Garber about a Wikipedia entry that claimed he lives in New York City with artist and model Rainer Andreesen.

“I don’t really talk about it but everybody knows,” the 63-year-old actor said of his relationship with Andreesen, a fellow Canadian. “He’s going to be out here with me for the SAG Awards.”

Garber — who has been nominated for six Emmy Awards since entering show business — first spoke about his longtime love in an April 2012 interview with Canada’s Forever Young.

“My companion Rainer Andreesen and I have been together almost 13 years in Greenwich Village,” he said. “We both love New York.”

In addition to his film career, Garber has also appeared on the small screen in Alias, 30 Rock, Frasier, Ugly Betty, Web Therapy, The Big C, Damages, Deception, Eli Stone, Nurse Jackie and Glee.

[From Us Weekly]

Aw. I mean, I knew he was gay, but I didn’t know he had been with a guy for 13 years! That’s epic. Would you like to see this Rainer guy? Here you go:

HOT. That’s a really good looking man. Well done, Victor! I can’t believe Victor has been hitting that for 13 years and he hasn’t told everybody about it before now. Lay claim to that hot piece!

Incidentally, I thought it was so cute/sweet/lovely that Victor was at Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s table at the Golden Globes. Ben puts Victor in his movies (Victor was in The Town and Argo) and I think Victor is something of a second father to Jennifer Garner – they’ve been really close since Alias, and Victor is really tight with Bradley Cooper too. I like that the Garner-Afflecks always include him in what they’re doing. The friendship seems genuine.

Photos courtesy of WENN.