I’ve never been crazy about Neil Patrick Harris’s boyfriend/partner David Burtka. I adore Neil, and as such, I’ve accepted that David is in his life and hoped for the best. But David seems… I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it. He’s like Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm’s girlfriend. I’m annoyed by them, but I can’t figure out if it’s just jealousy or because Westfeldt and Burtka are simply annoying people. Anyway, I had a point! My point is that I never really cared for David… until now. Because these Out Magazine photos of David and Neil are HOT. They cover the February issue of Out Magazine’s “The Love Issue”. Instead of an interview with David and Neil, the magazine simply let’s them tell their love story in their own words, in the form of two essays – you can read them here. I’m going to excerpt some of Neil’s, just because I love it so much – this is all in Neil’s voice, Neil’s own words:

How Neil met David…
I ran into my friend Kate one day and she was with this brooding, James Dean–type guy in a leather jacket who gave me the head nod and then turned away. I assumed he was Kate’s boyfriend and said, “Nicely done.” And she said, “David? He’s not playing on my team, but he has a boyfriend.” So, then I just kept seeing him on the periphery, and in turn, catching up on him, but I didn’t want to be that guy who was creating some sort of romantic interference. So, I was always around when he was around, hoping the stars would align. When we all hung out for the first time — I was invited by Kate to an American Idol viewing party — I just stammered around him. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

They’re both Gemini…
There’s something kinetic about him and his being. He’s classically sexy, yet he’s very much a boy in his energy. It’s a great dynamic. When I see people who are equally attractive, they tend to seem more quiet and kind of Marlboro Man-y, and David’s the antithesis of that. He’s more like Tigger. I’m, in turn, very introspective — the thinker, rather than the doer. I tend to weigh options before making decisions, and David is the polar opposite of that. We’re hyper similar and also incredibly opposite. We share a wardrobe. We have the same shoe size, body size, height, and weight. We’re both Gemini. We both like the idea of family — not a nuclear family, but a social family. Yet, we’re incredibly opposite in the way we process information.

Neil on his single days…
I remember being in my mid-twenties, lying in bed thinking, I’ve never taken a shower with anyone before; I’ve never had any kind of long-term relationship. I remember thinking that the rest of my life would be solo. I wasn’t weepy when I thought that — it was just a realization that I had gone this long being self-sufficient. Thankfully, the world changed and perceptions changed, and my life went to the East Coast, where there’s a much greater acceptance of anonymity and freedom. In New York, I was able to date with my head held higher. In L.A., it felt much more gossipy. It’s all baby steps: You have to be OK with telling your friends you’re going on a date; you have to be OK with the people in your world meeting and judging them; you have to be OK with breakups. I’m infinitely grateful all those steps led to Mr. Burtka — once we started talking, we never stopped.

Neil fell in love first…
I initially fell for David harder than he fell for me. I was in love with him before he was comfortable saying it, and I think that speaks to our past experiences. I remember saying, “I think I love you,” and he was like, “That’s really nice,” which is not necessarily what you want to hear. But I appreciated his honesty in not jumping the gun and saying something because he felt obliged to…. What defines a relationship is the work that’s involved to maintain it, and it’s constantly changing. Sometimes I’m deeply in love with David and head-over-heels, and sometimes I question whether it’s going to work out and is meant to be. It’s like a business relationship, as well as a personal one; we have a business together and that’s maintaining our love for one another.

Engagement and marriage…
David first proposed to me five years ago on the actual street corner where we met. We were on our way to an event at an Indian casino 45 minutes out of town in a limousine, and David wanted to stop for some reason that I didn’t quite get. I thought he wanted to get some booze or something. And then he got on one knee and proposed, and I was so freaked out by it that I said, “Yes,” but I didn’t know what it meant. Then I got the ring and loved it, and a year later, on Valentine’s Day, I proposed to him in Santa Monica. That was four years ago. The callous on my right hand is long-formed—and not from masturbation. I’m dying to move over to the other hand. I’d also like to call him my husband. I’m not the biggest fan of the word “partner”: It either means that we run a business together or we’re cowboys. “Boyfriend” seems fleeting, like maybe we met two weeks ago. I’ve been saying “better half” for as long as I’ve been able to. I think it’s a little self-deprecating and clearly defines that we’re in a relationship, but it would be nice to say “my husband.”

[From Out Magazine]

I get a little bit choked up, okay? Don’t judge me. But I thought the part about Neil telling David he loved him first and the part about marriage were just… lovely. Bittersweet, emotional, beautiful. Sigh… okay, I’m all for Neil and David now.

Photos courtesy of Out Magazine.

I don’t think I realized that Neil Patrick Harris’s boyfriend/fiancé/partner doesn’t have a real job…? Is he the Stacy Keibler of gay Hollywood? According to the Enquirer, David Burtka barely works, but in reality, it seems like David has had a full CV. According to his Wikipedia page, David Burtka was a stage and television actor with a decent IMDB page, and in 2009, David gave up his acting career to become a chef after he graduated from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, and David runs his catering company…? Catering seems like a significant time-suck, as does running and operating a catering company. Not to mention the fact that Neil and David are parents to two small children, another huge time commitment. Anyway, the Enquirer claims David really doesn’t work that much, and Neil Patrick Harris’s acquaintances began joking him about his “gold-digger” and “kept house-husband.” So NPH decided that David needed a “real job” – on E!

Stung by gossip about his “golddigger” fiance, a red-faced Neil Patrick Harris ordered David Burtka to get a job – and then found him one! NPH used his considerable showbiz clout to reel in a sweet deal for Burtka to work for E! as an on-air correspondent covering red-carpet events, beginning in January 2012.

“Neil got sick of David behaving like a kept house-husband,” an insider says. “Here he is up to his eyeballs in work between his CBS sitcom, hosting various award shows and co-parenting their twins while David spends just a few hours a week on his catering business.”

NPH sprang into action after overhearing two crew members refer to him as David’s “sugar daddy.”

“He got so upset he ordered David to ‘get a real job’ and volunteered to make calls to help him find work,” said the source. “Within days, David had meetings all around Hollywood, and the next thing you know, he was hired by E!”

Neil, 38, and David, 36, have been engaged for more than five years and they’re planning a glitzy theatrical wedding on Broadway after the New Year. They are parents to daughter Harper and son Gideon, and the source claims they are “looking for a full-time nanny to help out.”

[From The Enquirer, print edition]

In my mind, David was hired by Ryan Seacrest because Ryan secretly crushes on David, and Dame Seacrest comes between NPH and David and it all becomes a huge mess. But maybe that won’t happen. Hopefully, David just views this E! gig as something fun to do, something to get back to his theatrical roots. I wonder what’s going to happen to his catering company? Maybe it was just a fluff gig after all.

Also – NPH is 38?!??! He must be a vampire.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

When you hear that someone used the T word, you think twat, right? That’s the first word that came to mind for me, because it’s like the PG-13 version of c*nt, and that’s the C word. Only Neil Patrick Harris said another T word, one that is considered offensive to members of the LGBT community, “Tranny.” Harris was co-hosting “Live With Kelly” last Thursday when he took part in a science segment in which he inhaled a gas called sulfur hexafluoride, which makes your voice sound very deep, kind of like helium but with the opposite effect. After his voice got all deep, Harris did the “put the lotion in the basket” line from Silence of the Lambs (at 2:05). A little later he said “I’ve never sounded more like a tranny in my life.” It made sense in context, since the character who said that was a transvestite. Harris later apologized on Twitter. Not everyone knows that “Tranny” is an offensive word, but you would expect that Harris would realize that he shouldn’t say it on television. He did and he said sorry for it.

How I Met Your Mother’s Neil Patrick Harris was guest-hosting on Live With Kelly Thursday with special guest Science Bob, and during their fun experiment, NPH accidentally said the T-word.

And what word might that be, you ask?

“Tranny.”

Science Bob had Kelly Ripa and the actor inhale sulfur hexafluoride, or as he calls it “helium’s evil twin,” which makes your voice sound extremely deep.

While we laughed listening to Ripa’s Darth Vader impersonation and Harris’ Buffalo Bill infamous quote from The Silence of the Lambs, “Put the lotion in the basket,” things got a little awkward when he followed with, “I’ve never sounded more like a tranny in my life.”

Knowing that he might get some backlash, the actor tweeted, “Truly sorry for saying the word ‘tranny’ on Live this week. Twice! Should have been more thoughtful. Didn’t at all mean to offend.”

[From E! Online]

This reminds me of when Jennifer Aniston called herself the R word on television. They’re words that used to be usually casually, but that are iffy now. The T word can be used in a joking way too. I found this video where a transgendered person said that “tranny” is just slang and she doesn’t find it offensive. Others say that it’s the context in which the word is used. Unlike Aniston, Harris realized his mistake and he apologized pretty quickly though. It seems like a non-issue.

Also, I love how Kelly doesn’t know the difference between a compound and an element and asks if inhaling some gas will make her gain weight.

Here are some photos of Neil and his partner, David Burtka, at The Trevor Project’s 2011 Trevor Live event yesterday. (Kaiser covered LeAnn Rimes’ dress earlier.) They look good! They’re also shown on 11/12 at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center’s 40th anniversary auction. Credit: Nikki Nelson/WENN.com

Since you guys seemed to enjoy yesterday’s photos of Elton John and David Furnish’s big gay vacation, here are even more pics. Elton, David and their baby Zachary are currently in St. Tropez where they are partying and hanging out with Neil Patrick Harris and his partner, David Burtka and their twins.

According to People Mag, the two families went for a cruise around the Italian Mediterranean, stopped in Portofino for gelato, and then returned to St. Tropez. Throughout the trip, NPH and Burtka each held on to a baby (I have no idea which is which), while Elton’s partner David Furnish held on to Zachary. Leaving Elton the odd-man-out, baby-holding-wise. This is my favorite part of the People story:

“It took a bit of organization,” one source tells PEOPLE, “because they had to come ashore by launch. And that has to be done very carefully with infants.”

After arranging the three children in sun caps and pint-sized life jackets, the group disembarked their yacht, loaded up a Zodiac craft from St. Tropez beach restaurant Club 55 at noon and sailed to the wooden pier at Pampelonne Beach – where dozens of locals had gathered to see them come ashore.

[From People]

Sun caps and “pint-sized life jackets”. WANT. So cute.

You know what this makes me nostalgic for? Will & Grace. I loved that show! Remember when Elton John came on the head of the Gay Mafia? I feel like that’s for real. NPH and Elton are the de facto heads of the (fabulous) Gay Mafia and seeing them vacation together with their babies… it’s all so amazing. I bet they’re plotting their takeover.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

Oprah may have messed up by giving shows to Dr. Phil, Sarah Ferguson and Rosie O’Donnell, but if the National Enquirer is to be believed she could be about to redeem herself. Everyone’s favorite awards show host, Neil Patrick Harris, is supposedly in talks to join the OWN network as host of a talk show. The way the Enquirer explains this, Neil contacted Oprah with his idea for a talkshow and got a positive response. I hope that this is true and that it works out for him. An NPH talkshow could be a real boost for OWN, which has yet to find its legs. I’ve heard some pundit talk about how Oprah should be worried since it could take years for OWN to take off.

Neil Patrick Harris has reached out to Oprah Winfrey about letting him host a show on her new OWN network. “After their initial conversation, Oprah was intrigued enough to set up two follow-up brainstorming meetings on Skype with Neil,” said a source. “Oprah is mentoring Neil while also trying to bolster her own brand.”

Since OWN launched in January of this year, its ratings have been on a steady decline.

“Oprah realized Neil’s mass appeal to TV audiences, as well as his unique perspective as a gay parent juggling home life and a high-profile career in Hollywood,” continued the source.

“Oprah needs a shot of adrenaline in the OWN network and a hot daytime talk show could be just the ticket.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, August 1, 2011]

But what about Oprah re-entering the talkshow space on OWN? Like I thought she was going to get her own show back, and now that she’s bringing in Rosie the space on her network could be more crowded. For now I think she might just be re-airing her old shows with some new commentary from her and her staff. (More on that here.) I couldn’t find anything on her website or anywhere else about when she might have new episodes of a talkshow on OWN. Maybe she wants to take a break for a while.

The Enquirer reminds us that Neil brings more to the table for Oprah in terms of his “long roster of A-list friends he could call on to make guest appearances.” Oh now I’m all excited for him to get his own talk show!

Photos from 6/20/11 and 6/2/11. Credit: WENN.com

Neil Patrick Harris has apologized for calling The Young and the Restless actor Eric Braeden a “d-bag” on Twitter. Harris tweeted on Friday that Braeden had canceled a cameo on Harris’ sitcom How I Met Your Mother, writing “Eric Braeden is a D-Bag. the actor, (Robin’s dad) agreed to a cameo, then last night bailed, saying the part wasn’t ‘substantial’ enough.” In response Braeden, 69, explained that he’d just had hip surgery and was too tired to show up to do just two lines on HIMYM. As a soap actor, Braeden has to memorize up to 50 pages a day of lines.

“I really don’t know who that fellow is. He’s a guy who stars in that series,” Braeden told EW, laughing. “It’s very unfortunate. First of all, I came back from hip surgery. I was off for three weeks. I’ve doubled my work, 30 to 50 pages a day for me, alone. Everyone knows that I’m exhausted. I was not about to appear on a show for two lines, because that’s what it amounted to.”

On his Twitter feed, Harris said, “Eric Braeden is a D-Bag. The actor, (Robin’s dad) agreed to a cameo, then last night bailed, saying the part wasn’t ‘substantial’ enough.” The reason for his so-called bailing? Braeden said he only learned about the size of his part the day before the taping, which he considered unreasonable. (He believes he should have been given the scripts weeks in advance).

Braeden originally agreed to take the gig because he enjoyed his first appearance on the CBS comedy in November 2008. “I truly enjoyed working there last time,” Braeden said. “The cast and crew and producers couldn’t have been nicer.”

As for Harris, “His choice of words bothered me,” Braeden added. “It seems to me like a young whippersnapper, having seen himself on a few covers, who’s received a few awards, is now suddenly suffering from the first signs of hubris. I’ve been in the business for 50 years. I’ve seen people come and go and I’m still here.”

Braeden ultimately laughed off the whole situation. “If he is a worthy adversary, he’d better not cross my path. I will let bygones be bygones.”

It looks like Harris feels the same way. Three hours after his initial Twitter post, he added this comment: “Now I feel bad for the D-bag comment. Don’t know the guy personally. I’m just fiercely protective of our show.” Harris also said via Twitter that the role was re-cast with Ray Wise, “a fantastic actor who makes any part ‘substantial’. Super excited to welcome him to the family.”

[From Entertainment Weekly via People]

I was going to say that Braeden didn’t have to put Harris down, but his comments were pretty mild and on the mark. He called Harris a “young whippersnapper” suffering from “the first signs of hubris,” and went on to suggest that he’s seen it all before, as if it was nothing new and didn’t phase him. Braeden comes off as the more mature party here, but Harris wrote that he felt bad and it sounds like he does. We all say things we regret. I once talked smack about someone I worked with (not at Celebitchy) on Twitter, deleted it a couple hours later and still got called out for it when it showed up in a search a few weeks later. You have to be careful not to hastily use Twitter and social media!

This highlights just how tirelessly soap opera actors have to work day in and day out, with very little recognition. More than 20 pages of lines sounds insane for one person for just one day, but it’s typical from what I’ve heard. When James Franco worked on General Hospital he said he had the equivalent an entire film script to memorize in just one day. (He had seven episodes filmed that day, but it still goes to show how much work soap actors do.) There were TelePrompters on set, but according to Franco “the regulars didn’t use it.”

Last year, I read an excellent article in The Daily Beast by a former soap opera journalist who explained just how difficult and unrewarding it can be to act on soap operas. Braeden has worked on The Young and The Restless for 30 years, and probably sees two lines as about two minutes of work.

Neil Patrick Harris and his boyfriend David Burtka are now the proud daddies of twins! Their surrogate gave birth this past Tuesday to a baby boy and a baby girl. These are NPH’s first babies, although David is also a dad to boy-and-girl twins with a previous boyfriend. So this makes the third and fourth kids for David. NPH and David named their babies Harper Grace (love) and Gideon Scott (is the baby a Bible?).

It’s a boy and a girl! Neil Patrick Harris and partner David Burtka are officially fathers. The actors welcomed twins Gideon Scott and Harper Grace on Oct. 12, the How I Met Your Mother star announced on Twitter Friday.

“All of us are happy, healthy, tired, and a little pukey,” he wrote.

Harris, 37, announced that he and Burtka, 35, were becoming parents in August. “We’re super excited/nervous/thrilled. Hoping the press can respect our privacy,” he wrote on Twitter at the time.

According to reports, the babies were born with the help of a surrogate.

At the Emmy Awards that month, Harris said he was getting excited about his new role – and doing research. “I’m trying to read as much as I can, and prep as much as I can,” he said at the time. “But there’s only so much you can do because each baby is super individual and totally their own person.”

[From People]

I know NPH and David had no control over it, but I’ve always thought that if you’re going to have twins, a boy and a girl would be ideal. That way, you wouldn’t have to go through the stage of dressing them alike, and you could always tell them apart. Plus, one of each is kind of awesome. Congratulations to David and Neil!

All photos courtesy of WENN.

Back in August, Neil Patrick Harris and partner David Burtka announced that they were expecting twins via surrogacy. They had long been reported to be looking into surrogacy, and many of us were very happy that it had finally happened for them. Star Magazine, as usual, was all over it – to the point where I think Star must have some sources in some of the countries’ fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies (Star also broke the story about Sarah Jessica Parker’s twins). Anyway, this new crimp in the works might be nothing – but it surprised me, and I expect all kinds of things. Apparently, these twin babies (still gestating) are not David Burtka’s first children. He already had two babies with his ex-lover, Lane Janger. Those twins live with Lane. Oooh… baby-daddy drama!

Neil Patrick Harris and boyfriend David Burtka are eagerly counting down the days until the birth of their twin babies via surrogate. But Star can reveal that David’s already a father to a set of twins — and they live with their other dad, film producer Lane Janger, in Los Angeles.

David and Lane, who broke up in 2004, welcomed daughter Flynn and son Javin in 2000. Lane refused to comment when contacted by Star, but an insider says, “David doesn’t see that much of the children, especially since he’s been with Neil. He chats with both of them on the phone and sends them presents on their birthdays.”

In an even more bizarre twist, Neil and David are now expecting boy and girl twins using the same agency that David and Lane used more than 10 years ago, Growing Generations.

“It was actually David who suggested it,” reveals the insider.

[From Star Magazine]

This sounds totally sketchy. David rarely sees his “other” kids?!? If this was heterosexual baby-daddy drama, David would be called a deadbeat asshat who doesn’t show up for his kids. And I think he is – granted, the custodial issues are probably complicated and we don’t know the details, of course. But it still seems very strange that David has little to no involvement with the OTHER twins he was father to. And I can’t believe it was never reported before now that David has other kids! This is some Swizz Beatz junk.

You know what pisses me off? When there are new photos of Jon Hamm and the photo agencies hide them! I didn’t even realize that The Hamm was in attendance for Saturday night’s Creative Arts Emmys (as Kathy Griffin says, “The Schmemmys”), which are the Emmys given out for the technical aspects of television, like makeup and editing and such. I had to look through the whole photo set to find My Hamm! Anyway… gradually, The Schmemmys have gotten increasingly A-List, and a handful of really cool people show up and support their technical peeps. The Hamm gets bonus points for showing up – granted, he was nominated for Guest Star (for 30 Rock), which he lost to Neil Patrick Harris. But The Hamm didn’t have to show! I love that he did, though. Such a gentleman.

Other Best Guest Star winners were Betty White (for SNL), Ann-Margret (for Law & Order: SVU) and John Lithgow (for Dexter). Here are some additional photos from the Schmemmys of Christina Hendricks (looking lovely in black, and with shorter hair), NPH and his baby-daddy, Lily Tomlin, Kathy Griffin and Kristin Chenoweth. Oh, and Alan Cumming looking… damn, I kind of want him in that cheesy blue plaid.

The Hamm photos, credit: WENN.

Last summer, Star Magazine reported that Neil Patrick Harris and his boyfriend were “in the process” of selecting a surrogate to have their babies. I kind of thought the report was bullsh-tty, but Star may have been right on. Yesterday, Neil Patrick Harris confirmed the happy news on his Twitter – that he and boyfriend David Burtka were expecting twins via a surrogate.

NPH only confirmed that the babies are due “this fall” and that he and David are “super excited/nervous/thrilled.” Then he asks for privacy. Unfortunately for his privacy, his announcement came only a few hours after E! News spilled the beans in a major way:

Neil Patrick Harris is going to have his hands full come fall. E! News has exclusively learned that the ubiquitous actor and his longtime partner, David Burtka, are going to become the parents of twins, via a beautiful surrogate, this October.

At least the dads are allowed to celebrate with a champagne toast!

A source tells E! that the happy couple have put baby shower plans in motion, as if Harris’ chance of winning three Emmys this month wasn’t already enough to celebrate!

Burtka, a chef and actor who has guest-starred on How I Met Your Mother, was just seen with his multitalented beau last weekend after Harris directed a production of Rent at the Hollywood Bowl.

And this is not the first time there’s been speculation about Harris’ pending fatherhood.

Star reported last year that Burtka and Harris had visited a surrogacy agency in L.A. to get the ball rolling on expanding their family. They’ve been together for roughly six years.

Reps for Harris have yet to return our calls for comment.

[From E! News]

Six years is a lifetime in Hollywood, and NPH and David seem really solid. My only concern – and this is minor – is that in interviews, NPH always seemed a little commitment-phobic about actually getting a ring on his finger, saying in several interviews that he didn’t know if he would ever get married. Of course, that might be about politics and Prop 8 and all of that. Maybe he and David already feel like they’re married (six years, after all), and they just wanted to be dads. Congratulations to them, and good luck and best wishes to the surrogate!

NPH & David on February 4, 2008, November 14, 2009, and January 17, 2010. Credit: WENN.