I heard this story last week, but People Magazine is reporting it now, so we may as well cover it: A gay blogger and playwright is slamming Jay Leno for careless remarks he made when Ryan Phillippe was on his show. Ryan played the first gay teenager on television in his first acting job. He played Billy Douglas in the opera soap opera “One Life to Live,” and said that it caused some controversy with the Baptist church in his small town in Delaware. (Phillippe later told Ellen Degeneres that he received letters from gay teens saying he saved them from suicide, but he didn’t realize the importance of his role at the time, because he was 17 and was just glad to have a job.)

Jay told Ryan to show the camera his “gayest look,” but he was talking about the way that soap operas make everything melodramatic for effect, and how the actors look at the camera with piercing eyes. I took it in that context and not as something he came up with as a stereotype of a gay man:

Apparently attempting to become playful during his interview with guest Ryan Phillippe (whose appearance was keyed to his new movie Stop-Loss), Leno, 57, said to the actor, “Can you give me, like – say that camera is your gay lover …”

Despite Phillippe’s instant discomfort, Leno went on to say, “Can you give me your ‘gayest look’? Say that camera is Billy Bob – Billy Bob has just ridden in shirtless from Wyoming.”

“Wow,” replied Phillippe, 33. “That is so something I don’t want to do. Are you just going to embarrass me tonight, or … ?”

“No,” said Leno. “I got more stuff. This is the least of it.”

Among those in the home audience who quickly took offense, reports USA Today, was Tony-winning Avenue Q librettist Jeff Whitty, 36.

On his personal blog, Whitty flashes Leno what he considers his “gayest look” – which involves a well-known gesture with his middle finger. Whitty also asks, “Would you ask a guest to make their ‘blackest face?’ Their ‘Jewiest face?’ ”

Following suit, others have posted their “gayest looks” for Leno – also involving the same gesture – at the newly created Web site, My Gayest Look.

[From People.com]

I didn’t cover this when I first heard it, because I watched that whole interview carefully and even transcribed some of it, and the comments Leno made did not seem offensive or targeted at gay men to me. Jay was talking about the way that soap operas exaggerate things, from my perspective. Plus I didn’t want to stir up a controversy. Sure Jay Leno made some stupid remarks, but I felt that as a semi-straight woman I’m not the one to say whether it was offensive to gay people or not, and frankly I felt stupid for not recognizing it as potentially offensive in the first place.

Whitty has some valid points that Jay wouldn’t ask someone to make their blackest or Jewiest face, and Leno even seemed uncomfortable when Halle Berry said that a photo of her with her nose photoshopped to look big was her “Jewish cousin.” Producers recognized that Berry’s remark was offensive and removed it prior to the show being aired, but someone has to hit them over the head to see that Jay is doing a similar thing here.

The best thing to come out of this is the website My Gayest Look, which involves tons of people giving Jay the finger. Now that this has some media attention, expect an apology from Jay. Maybe this will make media personalities think twice before making offhand stupid comments about groups of people. Also - I think that Asians are routinely stereotyped and made fun of in the media and that it gets hardly any attention. It’s good that people speak out and let us know when someone is out of line and I feel enlightened in this case, but am kind of humbled that I didn’t see it myself.

Update: Leno has apologized for his comments, saying that he agrees that it was dumb and that is came out wrong. He should have said “most melodramatic look” or “best soap opera stare”

“In talking about Ryan’s first role, I realize that what I said came out wrong,” the host of NBC’s Tonight Show said in a statement to PEOPLE. “I certainly didn’t mean any malice. I agree it was a dumb thing to say, and I apologize.”

[From People.com]

Here’s the video. The “gayest look” comment is about 2 minutes in:

Ted, whose shirt made me lol

They should paginate that Gayest Look site and add advertising, because it’s a lot of fun to look through all the photos of people giving the brid.

I guess I’m an old lady, because I barely know who JC Chasez is, and have absolutely no idea who this Chace Crawford person is. All I know is, he has a soap opera name and he is prettier than most girls I know. Anyway, these two marginally famous pretty boys insist that they are nothing more than straight friends, despite rumors circulating to the contrary.

Get it straight: JC Chasez and Chace Crawford aren’t dating.

The former NSYNC singer, 31, debunked Internet rumors linking him to the Gossip Girl hottie, 22, on Kiss-FM 104.7 on Wednesday.

“For the record, we’re both straight,” Chasez declared. “We’re not dating.”

Chasez — who called Crawford a “super nice guy” — said he understands why people may think they’re an item.

“The only time people usually see us together is in some type of photograph, so they just assume that it’s like that,” he said.

“If I’m dating a girl and I’m standing next to another girl, I’m having an affair,” Chasez went on.

“So now, since there hasn’t been any of that smoke out there, if I’m hanging out with a guy, they’re going to make up a rumor.

“It’s just stupid.”

[From Us Weekly]

I’ve never seen Chasez standing next to a girl– unless you count Justin Timberlake. Anyway, Chace’s relationship with beard- uh, American Idol Carrie Underwood, is over.

Carrie Underwood and Chace Crawford have split, sources confirm to Usmagazine.com.

The American Idol winner, 25, and the Gossip Girl star, 22, had been dating since last July, but did not go public with their romance until October.

Underwood had spent Thanksgiving at his parents’ home in Dallas and part of her Christmas break with his relatives.

An insider told Us Weekly in December, “His parents are fond of her… they believe ‘Carrie Crawford’ would be a great addition to the family!”

“She’s a classy girl,” Crawford told Us in October.

[From Us Weekly]

I’m sure all of you in CelebitchyLand will sleep better tonight knowing that these two are straight, and that Chace is, in fact, available. Here’s my question: how in the world did these two meet- at a day spa or something? Also: when did anyone start caring about either of them? I can’t remember the last time JC Chasez did anything relevant, and this Chace kid is on a brand new CW show that I’ve never even heard of.

Sex and The City star Cynthia Nixon has two children from her relationship with a male English professor, which lasted from 1988 to 2003. They have a daughter Samantha, 11, and a son Charles, 5. In September, 2004, the news came out that she had a same sex partner, an education activist named Christine Marinoni, and that the two were raising Nixon’s children together in Brooklyn. At first Nixon understandably wasn’t too open with the press about her relationship, and you can’t blame her based on the sensational way the story was reported.

In a Nightline interview in February, 2006, she talked about her relationship without getting into specifics. She said “I think people have been pretty good… they understand and they’re pretty respectful.” She also said of the media coverage that “It was a little crazy being on the front page of the paper, and I had photographers outside my house for a day or two, but, it wasn’t so bad.”

In June, 2006 Nixon again spoke in general terms about her personal life, saying “My private life is private. But I have nothing to hide. So what I will say is that I am very happy.”

Then in September of 2006 she did discuss her partner and described the way she fell for her in matter-of-fact terms. She said in an interview with New York Magazine that “I never felt like there was an unconscious part of me around that woke up or that came out of the closet; there wasn’t a struggle, there wasn’t an attempt to suppress. I met this woman, I fell in love with her, and I’m a public figure.”

And recently Nixon, 41, talked about her partner glowingly and about how much she loves her. She mentioned how they both work together in their household and called their relationship “fantastic”:

The SATC star told reporters, “I’m in a fantastic relationship,” she continued, “We shop and cook and raise children…We both pitch in.” Much like in SATC, Cynthia and her partner raise her two kids Samantha, 11, and Charles, 6, in Brooklyn. (Note by Celebitchy: Charles is 5 according to Wikipedia.)

“I’m in love with her because she’s her. If she were a man, would I be in love with her? I don’t know.”

[From OK! Magazine]

I like how she describes their relationship. It’s like something that was once sensationalized as some big scandal is really just two people raising children together like many families do. In her NY Magazine interview, Nixon said of the media coverage that “if someone is chasing you, stop running. And then they’ll stop chasing you.”

Nixon handled the press extremely well in that she spoke in general terms that covered the major points while making it clear that she considered her relationship a non-issue. She didn’t get into too many details. And now it’s time to say what she’s wanted to all along, that she loves her partner and that it’s the little things that make their relationship special.

Nixon’s partner is a bigger woman and many people were like “oh, she’s not hot.” I think in her statements she’s making it clear why she loves her, and that it’s much deeper than looks and yet is as average as any relationship.

Nixon next stars in the Sex and The City movie, which opens in the US on May 30, 2008.

Thanks to Wikipedia for some details.

Cynthia Nixon, Christine Marinoni, and Cynthia’s children Charles and Samantha are shown at a fundraiser at Central Park Zoo on 6/12/06, thanks to WENN.

Though “American Idol” claims to have a pretty thorough screening process, contestants with less than savory backgrounds keep getting through. Which wouldn’t be a problem if “Idol’s” producers said they didn’t care one way or the other – but they’ve kicked singers out for unsavory things in the past. A few years ago singer Frenchie Davis was eliminated from the competition after topless photos of her surfaced on the internet. However last year contestant was allowed to stay when her racy photos popped up. Now it’s been revealed that 24-year-old contestant David Hernandez used to work as a stripper in a gay strip club for over three years – and it’s been confirmed by the club’s owner.

“American Idol” contestant David Hernandez once entertained audiences by removing his clothes instead of singing tunes, a manager at a male strip club in Phoenix told The Associated Press.

The 24-year-old finalist from Glendale, Ariz., once worked as a stripper at Dick’s Cabaret, appearing fully nude and performing lap dances for the club’s “mostly male” clientele, club manager Gordy Bryan said Monday.

“He had the look and the type that people like, so he made pretty good money here,” Bryan said. According to Bryan, Hernandez steadily worked at the club for three years until September 30, 2007. “He never renewed his licensing with the state, so he hasn’t been on my roster since then,” Bryan said.

[From the Huffington Post]

“American Idol” producers could get a lot of bad press if they kick Hernandez out. If they’d had a clear-cut policy on this kind of issue, that’d be one thing. But since they’ve kicked one person out and let another stay, it could look like bias if they made Hernandez leave the competition. I wonder if the producers would consider working as a stripper better or worse than posing nude. They’ve also kicked people out for having criminal backgrounds – but have let some people stay as long as they revealed whatever negatives were in their past. I honestly wish they’d be a little more lenient. If a criminal has paid their debt to society, they have a right and responsibility to get a job. Why shouldn’t they try out for American Idol? What an inspirational story that would be - “Ex con turns his/her life around.” Same thing with someone who was a stripper. Talk about following your dreams. Hopefully Hernandez will be judged based on his talent and not his past.

Paris Hilton has been photographed kissing women in the past, but recently, she has really stepped up her fake lesbian game– she’s been seen kissing galpals Elisha Cuthbert and Brittney Gastineau just this month. Sources say her foray into gayness might be part of her agenda to land a role on the hit Showtime series, “The L Word.” It’s a steamy, soap-opera style drama about beautiful lesbians living in Los Angeles, and Paris sees it as a way to legitimize her acting career.

Following her makeout session with Elisha Cuthbert, Paris Hilton will appear in an episode of the Showtime lesbian drama The L Word.

“Once the strike is over, we are going to start talks, but I am definitely shooting it,” she told Usmagazine.com at the L.A. premiere of her comedy, The Hottie and the Nottie.

So will she play gay for pay?

“I don’t know yet,” she said.

For now, Hilton is content being an actress, but she told Us she is open to directing.

“Maybe one day, but right now I just like being in front of the camera,” she said.

[From US Weekly]

I’m not sure how to feel about this. I love “The L Word,” and I don’t want Paris and her dreadful acting contaminating it. I mean, have you seen “House of Wax?” Hopefully, this will be a one-time deal; a simple case of stunt casting in which Paris plays herself. There is a character on the show who is currently in jail– if the writers have a sense of humor, having Paris involved in that storyline could be good for a few laughs.

On the other hand, at least Paris is publicity-whoring for a reason this time, instead of just wanting attention. That’s progress for her, right?

Picture note by Celebitchy: Paris is shown with her costar Christina Lakin at the Hottie & the Nottie premiere last night. Unfortunately MSat and I didn’t coordinate our stories and there’s another Paris story coming up that I wrote.

Cher and her daughter, Chastity Bono, are pitching a new reality show in which they help gay people come out to their families. Chastity is out and proud, but Cher wasn’t so accepting of her daughter’s homosexuality when she was first confronted with the news. Cher kicked Chastity out of her NY apartment when her daughter came out to her, and it took her a while to come to terms with it. Chastity’s father, the late singer and Congressman Sonny Bono, was said to be immediately accepting and to have already realized that his daughter was gay. Cher and Chastity also denied reports in 1990 that claimed Chastity was a lesbian. She came out to the press in 1995.

Chastity is a heavier person who lost 23 pounds on Celebrity Fit Club 3 on VH1 last year but has since gained it back, according to reports. Unfortunately the Daily Mail article about their new reality show typically focuses on Chastity’s weight rather than the news that she may star in a positive show with her mom.

Chastity told The Advocate last year that she wasn’t too fond of reality TV shows, but that she understands how they work and is willing to play the game:

Bono says it’s strange to find herself a reality TV participant, since she hates most of what she’s seen on such shows. But she’s media-savvy enough to know how to convey the impression of “realness” without being entirely real. “There are certainly things that are, if not scripted, at least set up,” she divulges. “And there are often times when they have to do a take 2 of something.” Like maybe they didn’t catch her initial reaction to being told she’d have to run a race inside a giant inflatable hamster wheel. “So,” she says, “you have to repeat the shot of ‘Oh-my-gosh-it’s-a-giant-inflatable-hamster-wheel!’”

[From The Advocate and found at FindArticles.com]

Chastity has been sober for nearly two years, after having beaten an addiction to the painkiller Oxycontin, to which she became hooked while dealing with the grief from her longterm partner’s death.

61 year-old Cher has been having intestinal trouble, and has reportedly gone to the same clinic in Germany where Farrah Fawcett is having cancer treatment. Her reps deny that she has serious medical problems.

There is speculation that Cher is financially strapped after she auctioned off her expensive tchotchkes and is rumored to be considering yet another farewell stint in Vegas. It seems like that rumor is true given the fact that she’s trying to get a reality show. The Daily Mail reports that the title will be “Coming Out With Cher and Chas.”

Chastity Bono is shown at the Outfest Film Festival on 7/16/05, thanks to WENN. Cher is shown in April, 2006 in NY, thanks to Splash News.

Jodie Foster has long been silent on her sexual orientation. It didn’t seem to bother people until the last couple of years, when there has been an intense scrutiny placed on the sexual orientation of stars. It seems that the people who won’t talk about their orientation get a lot more press than those that come out. The attention paid to Foster’s orientation seemed to swell when she got pregnant with her son Charles ten years ago but refused to talk about the father or the conception. People talked a bit before then, but that seemed to be when it really became water cooler conversation. Foster has steadfastly refused to talk about her private life. However it’s long been assumed that her friend Cydney Bernard is also her lover. And after fourteen years together, it seems Foster may have finally acknowledged Bernard… in a way.

Jodie Foster has finally come out as a lesbian to pay tribute to her girlfriend of 14 years… after winning an award at a Women in Entertainment breakfast, she broke her taboo to thank “my beautiful Cydney”. Her emotional speech brought tears to the eyes of some of her audience at the Beverly Hills Hotel, revealing a vulnerable side to a star who has long resisted calls from gay rights activists to clarify her personal life. Miss Foster, 44, a double Oscar winner, praised her film producer partner Cydney Bernard “who sticks with me through all the rotten and the bliss”.

Accepting the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, she offered an insight into the insecurities that haunt her. “I feel fragile, unsure, struggling to figure it all out, trying to get there even though I’m not sure where there is,” she said.

Last night Kathy Belge, of the website Lesbian Life, said: “I never thought I’d see this day. Perhaps it was because her children are getting older and she didn’t want them to think there was anything wrong with being gay. Perhaps she was simply sick and tired of life in the closet. Whatever her reasons, we are pleased that Jodie found the courage to be true to herself.”

[From the Daily Mail]

I’m a big believer in people’s right to choose how/when/if they disclose their sexual orientation. If Jodie wants to keep it to herself, that’s her business. The only way in which that would bother me is if she felt she HAD to keep it a secret, whether for her career, for her audience, or because she felt ashamed. Though I’m not necessarily her biggest fan, Sharon Osbourne once gave a speech at a gay pride event and talked about her kids’ attributes. She noted, “My only regret is that none of my children are gay.” And while she was trying to be funny, she wasn’t being sarcastic. I liked the attitude that being gay wasn’t just something to deal with, but just another one of a person’s many attributes. I hope that if Jodie Foster ever wants to come out completely, she will. She’s well respected not just as an actress but as a person, and could do a lot of good.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Jodie Foster and Cydney Bernard are shown out in Berlin at the aftershow party for the German Premiere of Flightplan on 10/12/05, thanks to WENN.

Sir Ian McKellen, best known for his portrayal of Gandalf in “Lord of the Rings,” is one saucy old cat. He is so deliciously gay and open about anything that is on his mind. His gay rights lobby group, Stonewall, fights for equality and has been a passion of his for years. But his current wish is to have Justin Timberlake portray him in a musical about his life.

“The ‘Lord of the Rings’ star is keen to see his eventful life played out on stage and thinks the pop heartthrob would be the perfect person to portray him.

‘Justin vaguely resembles people in my family, and I think he is really talented.’”

[Monsters and Critics]

While Ian is a Justin Timberlake fan, he is first and foremost fiercely protective of his sexuality. Jake Gyllenhaal didn’t make an impression on him while answering questions about “Brokeback Mountain” last year during an interview.

“I got very upset when one of the actors (Jake Gyllenhaal) said it was the most terrifying job he’d ever had because it involved him kissing another man. Imagine how rude that is. Suppose I’d said the most appalling thing I ever to do was kiss Helen Mirren!”

[From Female First]

This is just a prime example of his personal views on Hollywood and homosexuality. In his experience the industry encourages gay actors to keep their gender preference under wraps. At times he was even asked to deny any gay allegations.

“I think to myself, ‘Can people whose minds work like that make good films? And if at the heart of Hollywood there is that lie, how many other lies are there?’ And it’s the producers who have this problem - God knows what sort of people they are - who think that it’s impossible for you and me to fancy the same person. Well, what dull lives they must have.”

[Monsters and Critics]

It is no secret that his goal is to prove that who you love, despite their gender, should not be an obstacle in any career path. Ian has also lent advice to educate the young gay community is Britain. His thoughts, along with 19 other prominent homosexuals across the pond, have been printed in a booklet designed to educate, encourage and provide help for the target audience of gay adolescents.

He is such a talented actor. I am so glad that people like Ian are out there fighting for rights like a curmudgeon superhero.

Ian McKellan is shown at The Orange British Academy Film Awards on 2/12/07, thanks to Splash News.

“Samantha Who?” star Christina Applegate made waves earlier in the week when a story came out that she was seen kissing her ex husband at a club. Christina and her ex, actor Johnathon Schaech, were divorced last year after five years of marriage and when they ran into each other they “just started making out”:

Applegate, 35, and Schaech, 38, ran into each other unexpectedly at L.A. hot spot Les Deux on Friday night – and ended up having a close encounter.

“They just made out all of a sudden,” an observer tells PEOPLE. “They didn’t really look around to see who was looking, it just happened, but it wasn’t that weird after. They just went along talking to friends and separated soon after and both kept partying.”

The flirty former couple were also seen holding hands, but they each ended the evening with their pals. Applegate, who stars in the new comedy series Samantha Who?, was hanging out with her girlfriends Eva Longoria and Sara Ramirez, while Schaech was with his actor friend Clifton Collins Jr.

[From People.com]

That’s not that shocking and comes off like a sitcom plot rather than something that would actually happen, but good for them. What’s slightly scandalous is the news that Applegate admitted that she was married to a woman before she made it legal with her ex husband in 2001. She said in an old interview with Bikini Magazine that over ten years ago she and her female friend got hitched in Vegas. She claimed that they “took [marriage] very seriously,” but that they did it to prove a point about marriage and that it wasn’t sexual. It couldn’t have been legal, because gay marriage and same sex unions are not legal in Nevada, but it sounds like they had a ceremony:

The Anchorman star has been exposed as a former lesbian thanks to a forgotten interview in little know Bikini magazine, where she talks openly about her same-sex romance a decade ago, before she wed now ex-husband Johnathon Schaech.

Applegate told the magazine she ‘wed’ a girlfriend in Las Vegas to “prove a point about the whole marriage thing, and how the bond between two women surpasses the bond between two men.”

She added, “We got married at a club one Vegas night, and we took it very seriously - rings, rice, the whole bit.”

But she insisted there was no sexual relationship. She told Bikini magazine, “We’re not like that. We’re like the two most heterosexual women who ever lived.”

[From ContactMusic via Fark]

Did she tell this story because she was afraid it would get out and she wanted to tell it her way? It could have happened like she claims, but it all sounds pretty suspect. Lance Bass was married in Vegas in 1999 to get free drinks, and it’s not out of the question for two people who are just friends to get drunk and stupid enough to get married. If they weren’t more than friends they must have been obliterated enough to think that getting married was a good idea. Since it apparently wasn’t legal, it’s not like they had to get it annulled or anything. I wonder if was weird for them the next day and if their “friendship” suffered as a result.

Christina Applegate is shown on 7/27/07 at the ABC All Star Party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Thanks to Splash News.

Jake Gyllenhaal enjoys running….just not for office. His views on topical subjects are clear and well voiced, but Jake insists that his career path will not stray into the political. His honest answer when it comes to stars taking their power to the legislation process makes it clear that it’s not for him.

“The Rendition star has made no secret of his strong political views but would never follow in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s footsteps. He says, “I think it’s a sad time when actors become politicians and politicians become actors, but actually the two roles do overlap. I don’t want to run for office, though I am an active member of the Civil Liberties Union.”

[Starpulse]

I am guessing Jake didn’t exactly vote for Schwarzenegger. George Clooney is another actor with strong ties to all things political. While Clooney manages to remain eloquent during most interviews, Jake sometimes stumbles. During an interview with The Daily Mail he dives into a story that made me question my infatuation with him. In one of those “everyone says stupid things” moments he answered a rather blasé question with a bizarre answer.

“Who would you like to be stuck in an elevator with?

I know this isn’t quite the same, but I was stuck in a woman’s bathroom once with Susan Sarandon. She was interviewing me for a magazine and we couldn’t find a battery for our recording device so we ended up in a woman’s bathroom. I discovered two things that day: that the floor in a woman’s bathroom is colder than the floor in the men’s. And, believe me, I’ve spent a lot of time on the floor of a men’s bathroom so I should know! And women pee louder than men do, even though we might expect not. Maybe it’s just American women? I don’t know.”

I am hoping this was just a typical frat boy experience story that went terribly wrong. Nevertheless, the segment has caused more of the “gay rumors” to gain momentum. Whatever his sexual preference is doesn’t really matter, I mean as long as he still runs around shirtless from time to time… I am happy.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Jake Gyllenhaal is shown at the Rendition photocall at the Rome Film Festival on 10/21/07, thanks to PRPhotos.