Celebrity News
“Sex and The City” star Willie Garson has died at age 57
‘Favorite job happened when the cameras stopped rolling’
NEW YORK – In a tweet on Tuesday, actor Titus Welliver broke the news of the death from pancreatic cancer of his friend and fellow actor Willie Garson. Garson’s 20 year-old son Nathan, a student at The College of Wooster, a private liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio, added his own heartbreaking tribute to his father in an Instagram post.
There are no words. I love you dear brother. We are fewer pic.twitter.com/Q4Sblb7Nqw
ā TitusWelliver (@welliver_titus) September 21, 2021
The actor was in New York City reprising his role of Stanford Blatch in HBO’s Sex and the City‘s revival series, And Just Like That.
According to an exclusive interview by Page Six in 2020, the actor’s favorite role however was that of ‘Dad.’
Willie Garson found professional success on shows including āSex and the Cityā and āWhite Collar,ā but his favorite job happened when the cameras stopped rolling. […] āHeās an adult and soon to be taking care of me which is really why I got him to be honest,ā Garson said at the time. āHeās lovely and a really special guy. Heās wonderful and heās in college in Ohio.ā
The New Jersey-born actor also told us that he āalways wanted to have a child,ā so he decided to pursue adoption as a single parent.
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Celebrity News
GLAAD to honor Oprah Winfrey with Lifetime Achievement Award
Ceremony to take place in Los Angeles on Thursday
To the pantheon of LGBTQ allies honored by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation with the Lifetime Achievement Award, luminaries such as Barbra Streisand, Cher and Liza Minnelli enter Oprah Winfrey.
The global media icon, philanthropist and longtime advocate for LGBTQ rights will be honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 35th annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on March 14, 2024. The award honors Winfreyās unwavering commitment to promoting equality, acceptance and understanding for the LGBTQ community throughout her remarkable career, cementing her place among the most influential and dedicated allies in the fight for equality.
Born in rural Mississippi and raised in Milwaukee and Nashville, Winfreyās journey to becoming a media mogul and cultural influencer began when she was just a teenager. At the age of 19, she landed her first job in media as a young intern at WLAC-TV (now WTVF-TV), the CBS affiliate in Nashville. Her natural talent and charisma quickly earned her a position as the first African American female news anchor at the station, setting the stage for a groundbreaking career that would span decades.
In 1984, Winfrey relocated to Chicago to host WLS-TVās morning talk show, āAM Chicago.ā Little did she know that this move would be the catalyst for her meteoric rise to fame. The show, later renamed āThe Oprah Winfrey Show,ā became a cultural phenomenon, attracting millions of viewers across the U.S. and in more than 100 countries worldwide. Winfreyās unique blend of empathy, wisdom and storytelling resonated with audiences, making her one of the most beloved and influential figures in media history.
A pivotal moment in Winfreyās career came in 1986 when she negotiated a groundbreaking contract with King World Productions, the company founded by legendary boxing promoter Don King. The contract gave Winfrey full ownership of āThe Oprah Winfrey Showā and allowed her to produce the show through her own production company, Harpo Productions. This unprecedented deal demonstrated Winfreyās business acumen and laid the foundation for her future success, paving the way for her to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in the world.
Throughout her career, Winfrey has consistently used her platform to shine a light on important social issues, including LGBTQ rights, racial equality and womenās empowerment. Her compassionate and empathetic approach to storytelling has helped to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes and promote understanding and acceptance of marginalized communities.
In 1997, Winfrey featured Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show, providing a platform for the comedian to publicly come out as gay. This groundbreaking episode helped to normalize LGBTQ visibility in mainstream media and paved the way for greater acceptance and understanding of the community.
Winfreyās dedication to LGBTQ equality is further evident in her portrayal of strong, complex characters like Sofia in the acclaimed 1985 film āThe Color Purple,ā which featured one of the first same-sex kisses in a mainstream Hollywood production.
In addition to her work in television and film, Winfrey has built a vast media empire that includes the creation of the Oprah Winfrey Network, a partnership with Discovery Communications, and the publication of O, the Oprah Magazine. Her business savvy and entrepreneurial spirit have made her one of the most successful and influential figures in the entertainment industry, with a net worth estimated at $2.6 billion as of 2023.
But Winfreyās impact extends far beyond her financial success. She has also been a tireless advocate for education and philanthropy, donating millions of dollars to charitable causes and establishing the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, which provides education and support for underprivileged girls. Winfreyās commitment to giving back to the communities that have supported her throughout her journey is a testament to her character and her belief in the power of education to transform lives.
In her personal life, Winfrey is known for her love of reading, her commitment to personal growth and self-improvement and her close friendships with celebrities like Gayle King and Tyler Perry. Despite years of speculation and rumors surrounding the nature of her relationship with King, Winfrey has always maintained a dignified silence, emphasizing the importance of love, acceptance and the right to privacy. Her unwavering support for the LGBTQ community, both in her professional and personal life, has made her a role model and a beacon of hope for millions of people around the world.
Winfreyās fierce determination to fight discrimination and promote equality has been a constant throughout her career. In 1987, she confronted racism head-on by taking her show to the predominantly white community of Forsyth County, Ga. During a heated town hall meeting, one audience member expressed his fear of racial integration, stating, āIām afraid of [Black people] coming to Forsyth County.ā Winfrey responded with her signature grace and wisdom, saying, āI hear your fear. When I look at your face, I see the fear. But how are you going to get past it if you donāt allow yourself the opportunity to get to know other people?ā This powerful exchange demonstrated Winfreyās unique ability to facilitate difficult conversations and promote understanding across racial divides.
From her willingness to confront white segregationists in Georgia to her ongoing efforts to elevate diverse voices and stories through her work in television, film and theater, Winfrey has always been a champion for social justice. Her legacy as a trailblazer and an advocate for the marginalized will continue to inspire generations to come.
In the words of GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis, āOprah Winfrey has been a beacon of hope and inspiration for the LGBTQ community for decades. Her groundbreaking work in media has not only entertained and informed millions of people around the world, but it has also helped to change hearts and minds and promote greater understanding and acceptance for our community.ā
Maya Angelou, one of Winfreyās most important influences, put it best;Ā āIāve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.ā As Winfrey accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award, her legacy of compassion, empathy and unwavering commitment to equality serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring impact of a life well-lived.
The GLAAD Media Awards, which have been held annually since 1990, recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community. As As Winfrey prepares to accept this prestigious award on March 14, 2024, her extraordinary journey and unwavering commitment to LGBTQ equality serve as a powerful reminder of the impact that one person can have on the world.
Celebrity News
High flying and adored, Chita Rivera charts her path to heaven
D.C. native passed away on Tuesday at 91
She never danced Evita, but she was still āhigh flying adored.ā Today, Chita Rivera has left the stage, but she clearly will never dance out of the hearts of all who loved, admired and respected her.
Clearly, she was a talent no one could reckon. Born in 1933 as Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero, Chita Riveraās rise to stardom began with ballet classes at the age of 11. Her undeniable talent led her from the School of American Ballet to the spotlight of Broadway, where she broke ground as one of the first Hispanic women to achieve leading roles in theater during a time when representation was minimal.
She is known in critical circles as āthe greatest musical-theater dancer ever.āĀ Jason Alexander has been one of the first Broadway voices to speak of her passing and said, āThis extraordinary woman, the incomparable. Chita Rivera was one of the greatest spirits and colleagues Iāve ever known. She set the bar in every way. I will cherish her always. Dance in heaven, my friend.ā
She was the original Velma Kelly in “Chicago” and racked up 10 Tony nominations and two wins. Her performances were life changing. In 2009, she was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to American culture.
It is not a surprise that she was revered at her passing. What was shocking was that she passed at all. If there was anyone who you could anticipate had the spirit and will to live forever, it was Chita Rivera. She somehow seemed immortal.
And she loved LGBTQ people.
It was a mere decade ago when Rivera chose to celebrate her 80th birthday by headlining a sold-out show, “Chita-A Celebration,” at the August Wilson Theater. The event benefited Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS.
āThe roar for her was deafening,ā they report. After six rapturous standing ovations, Rivera stood proud, having raised $413,660 for the cause in that single performance. āI had no idea celebrating my 100th birthday would be so much fun,ā quipped the then 80-year old.
If Rivera was at all a diva, she was a generous one. āIām not comfortable with just me, me, me. Thatās boring,ā she has said. Rivera was a publicly vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights. She was among the luminaries who supported many AIDS benefit concerts and took a firm stance for equality. Through her philanthropic efforts, Rivera contributed to nurturing acceptance and championing the visibility of LGBTQ individuals in the arts.
Rivera was personally touched by the AIDS crisis having lost dozens of friends to the disease. She spoke publicly about it when she was performing in “Kiss of a Spider Woman.” āItās a very difficult role for me to play in these times, when youāve lost so many friends, and suddenly youāre standing there and youāre playing āDeath.ā And youāve just heard about some friends (who have died), you know? Sometimes itās really, really hard. But then I get all kinds of things from it: I get strength from having to go right through it. When Larry Kert (her “West Side Story” co-star) passed away, I thought I saw him in the balcony when I was singing “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” Thereās a lot going on. Itās a serious play, an important play. And this a good time right now because we need all of these channels open. We gotta get them in there to get the message out there.ā
GLAAD put out a statement at her passing on Tuesday, āBroadway legend Chita Rivera has sadly passed away at age 91. Rivera spent much of her long career advocating for LGBTQ people and people living with HIV and AIDS. Our hearts go out to everyone who loved her.āĀ Ā
GLAAD President Sara Kate Ellis, wrote her own personal tribute, āSo sad to hear about the death of Chita Rivera. I had the pleasure of spending time with her at Remember the Ribbon: A Tribute to World AIDS Day in 2022. She spent much of her life advocating for the LGBTQ community and people living with HIV and AIDS. Sending love to her family.ā
Rivera observed of her own legacy, āMany of the shows I danced in donāt exist on film, but they do exist in the memories of those who were in the theater for that single moment in time. And nothing can replace that.ā
She lived her life in single moments. The record of what she accomplished is imbedded in hearts, minds, memories and the forever told stories of Broadway. She will always be known by reputation and by legacy. As she makes her way up the red carpet, we can only hope she is greeted by her throng of angels, all those who passed before her. They know the exact name that we, who she has left, should have for her.
Legend.
Celebrity News
Queer nominees leave empty handed from disastrous Golden Globes
On the road toward a very āstraight and narrowā Oscar night?
By now, even if you didnāt watch them, you probably already know that Sunday nightās presentation of the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards was pretty much a debacle.
From its tense first few minutes, when host Jo Koy (seriously, how many people had to say ānoā to the job before they got to Jo Koy?) took his opening monologue rapidly past āirreverentā to ādisrespectfulā as his audience squirmed uncomfortably, it was clear that the eveningās attempt at a free-wheeling but good-natured roast of Hollywood disguised as an awards show was not going to go as planned. Koyās efforts at snark were met with palpable hostility from the celebrity crowd, most of whom looked like they would rather be anywhere else but in the audience at the Beverly Hilton, and things just got worse from there.
We could go on about the lackluster, often tone-deaf writing, or the poorly conceived āstunt pairingsā of stars as presenters, or the general sloppiness that made the show feel precarious from beginning to end, but fortunately, thereās no need for us to relive all that here. The reason youāre reading this (since this is the Blade, after all) is to find out about the āqueer takeā on the Golden Globes; unfortunately, the only one we can offer is that there really was no queer take on the Golden Globes.
Going into the ceremony, which, as always with the Hollywood Foreign Press Associationās annual awards show, bestowed the organization’s honors for both film and television, there were only a handful of out queer acting nominees. Two of these competed in a single category (Best Male Actor in a Motion Picture Drama): Colman Domingo, nominated for his star turn in the title role of āRustin,ā and Andrew Scott, who was up for his widely acclaimed performance in Andrew Haighās ethereal gay ghost story, āAll of Us Strangers.ā Both lost the award to Cillian Murphy, the star of Christopher Nolanās āOppenheimer.ā
The other out nominee in the film acting categories, previous four-time Golden Globe winner Jodie Foster, was competing as Best Supporting Female Actor in Any Motion Picture for her performance in the Netflix biopic āNyad,ā but she lost to DaāVine Joy Randolph of Alexander Payneās āThe Holdovers.ā
On the TV side, out gay performer Matt Bomer, nominated as Best Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie for Showtimeās queer historical romance āFellow Travelers,ā lost to Steven Yuen in the Netflix smash, āBeef.ā Natasha Lyonne – who identifies as straight but has always been open about her bisexual attractions – was up for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series as the star of āPoker Face.ā That award went instead to Ayo Edebiri of āThe Bear.ā
Itās true that Billie Eilish – who was nominated alongside brother Finneas OāConnell for co-writing Best Original Song nominee āWhat Was I Made For?ā from āBarbie,ā an award that they went on to win – has identified publicly as being attracted to both males and females, something she recently reasserted in a Variety interview (before following up with an Instagram post commenting that āliterally who caresā about her sexuality), so at least there was one winner from the queer community during the evening.
As for the movies and shows themselves, several of the nominated titles included queer characters and themes, with Best Picture nominees āMaestroā (about bisexual composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein) and āMay Decemberā (from pioneering āNew Queer Cinemaā filmmaker Todd Haynes) as the most obvious examples. Both films received multiple nods; neither walked away with a single win. In the TV division, several queer-oriented shows, from āFellow Travelersā to āThe Last of Usā to āTed Lasso,ā lost in their respective categories, and āWanda Sykes: Iām An Entertainer,ā the out lesbian comedianās Netflix special nominated for the newly added Best Standup Performance category, lost to former Golden Globes host Ricky Gervaisā āRicky Gervais: Apocalypse.ā
There were few queer moments of note, in fact, during the event, though the presence of trans āEuphoriaā star Hunter Schaefer onstage as a presenter was a welcome nod to inclusion. A more positive spin can be found by acknowledging the show of diversity – an issue around which the Golden Globes has long been deservedly criticized – among the winners. Several acting wins went to Black performers (Randolph, Edebiri) and performers of Asian descent (Yuen and āBeefā co-star Ali Wong), while Lily Gladstone became the first indigenous American performer to win a Golden Globe as Best Leading Female Actor (Motion Picture Drama) for āKillers of the Flower Moon.ā (Note: Gladstone has identified as “middle-gendered” in subsequent interviews and uses she/they pronouns.) We can only be thrilled for these well-deserved wins.
Still, if the Golden Globes are – as theyāve long been considered – the official ākick-offā of Awards Season and an important (if not always accurate) indicator of the likeliest big contenders at the subsequent (and more prestigious) ceremonies to follow over the next few weeks, it looks like we might be on the road toward very āstraight and narrowā Oscar night.
The complete list of nominees and winners can be found at the Golden Globes website.
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