News: Quentin Tarantino, Ugly Dog, Bulgaria, Michelangelo

First-ever "Rainbow Parade" set for Czech Republic: "he National Party (Národní strana) sees the event as a 'pressure on the majority, pressure that is disgusting and awkward, pressure leading to social acceptation of the children being adopted by homosexual couples.' Members of the party are prepared to protest against the march. Police are evaluating potential risks in order to determine what security measures will need to be applied."

Quentin Tarantino accepts Filmmaker on the Edge award from the Provincetown Film Festival. John Waters: "You helped reinvent John Travolta as a man and I reinvented him as a woman."

DAD: Amy Winehouse in first stages of Emphysema.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to officiate today at marriage of American Beauty producer Bruce Cohen to art consultant Gabriel Catone: "After the state Supreme Court struck down a ban on same-sex marriage last month, Villaraigosa promised to preside at as many ceremonies as possible. But when the ruling took effect last week and other political officials were presiding over same-sex weddings, Villaraigosa was in Israel on a city trip."

Nationalists in Bulgaria plan "Week of Intolerance" in response to upcoming gay parade.

Gay health therapist Michael Shernoff has died at the age of 57, of pancreatic cancer.

Book: Michelangelo hid secret messages in Sistine Chapel attacking the Pope.

Jane Fonda on her first screen test, with Warren Beatty: "At the time I suspected that Warren might be gay, because he was so cute and had so many unusual, intellectual friends. Well, how wrong can you be?"

Brooklyn appellate judges to hear arguments on New York Governor David Paterson's directive to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages: "he case being heard today, Godfrey v. Spano, will consider whether recognition of same-sex marriages first requires approval from the Legislature. So far the Legislature hasn't passed any laws relating to gay marriage. Whatever decision the Brooklyn appeals court reaches in the Godfrey case is sure to be quickly appealed to the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals."

Gerard Butler is a fashionista.

Dog named world's ugliest.

Salon bookmark: Gore Vidal's Inconvenient Truths.

Australian city council apologizes to gays for incident that happened 20 years ago.

SF Chronicle columnist's brief encounter with David Beckham: "Beckham is, for lack of a better word, man-tastic. He leans on a stool, wearing a crisp white shirt and silver tie, having just taken off his cream suit jacket. His hair is cut short and simple, ceding attention to his long stubble, which covers his face except for two Band-Aid-size vertical stripes shaved clean on either side of his goatee."

They got him!

The NYT takes a closer look at pregnant trans man Thomas Beatie: "Partly a carnival sideshow and partly a glimpse at shifting sexual tectonics, his image and story powered past traditional definitions of gender and exposed a realm that seemed more than passing strange to some observers — and altogether natural to those who inhabit it. 'This is just a neat human-interest story about a particular couple using the reproductive capabilities they have,' said Mara Kiesling, director of the National Center for Transgender Equality in Washington. 'There’s really nothing remarkable' about the Beatie pregnancy, she said."

Sphere: Related Content

News: Heath Ledger Hoax, Italy, Matt Damon, Mexico, Diana Ross,

Time magazine looks at the 15th anniversary of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell": "The issue exploded during Clinton's first week as President, triggered by those in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill opposed to his campaign pledge to reverse an executive order barring gays and lesbians from serving. 'The issue is whether men and women who can and have served with real distinction should be excluded from military service solely on the basis of their status,' Clinton said at the time. 'And I believe they should not.' While the phrase 'don't ask, don't tell' wasn't used at that January 29, 1993, press conference, that's what everyone soon began calling the policy."

Not that Oz: Matt Damon in the Emerald City.

Diana Ross BOOED in Jamaica: Not ready for her close-up.

200 Mexican youths and parents march to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS: "Participants marched through the city's main streets chanting slogans, such as 'Not One More Infected Person' and 'Equal Rights for Young Homosexuals.' Some of the participants also dressed in costumes and distributed condoms. Josue Quino, head of the CAIPAJ gay adolescent and youth center, said the march was necessary to warn youth that a 'single unprotected [sexual] encounter is enough to' contract HIV. Members from the Group of Mothers and Fathers for Diversity also marched in the demonstration, carrying signs that said 'We're Proud of Our Children' and 'Our Children Have United Our Families.'"

Manchester UK police investigate rape at gay sauna.

Clay Aiken: no love.

Which one's Twiggy, which one's Keira Knightley?

Barbara Walters bans Kathy Griffin from The View...again. Griffin: "I was supposed to be on 'The View' [today]. But then I get a call from [producer] Bill Geddie and he says, 'You were too mean to Barbara [Walters] on your last special, so you can't come on.' Can you believe it? I've been banned before, but never re-banned!"

Scammer, posing as Heath Ledger's father, takes advantage of doctor, funeral home, Tom Cruise, and John Travolta: " Cops want to arrest the con man on fraud and larceny charges, and sent detectives to Ledger's wake at the funeral home Friday in hopes of catching him, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said. But police do not know the identity of the impostor - who also tried to finagle from one unidentified Hollywood star the numbers of actors Mel Gibson and Christian Bale, who have co-starred in movies with Ledger."

Michael Jackson to get additional reconstructive surgery — this time to his album Thriller.

Method Acting: Sean Penn and James Franco, playing Harvey Milk and his lover Scott Smith, respectively, in the Gus van Sant biopic Milk, reportedly wanted to shack up together for a while before filming started to get to know one another, but due to scheduling difficulties, those plans fell through.

Study finds middle age is truly depressing: "For men and women the probability of depression slowly builds and then peaks when people are in their forties -- a similar pattern found in 72 countries ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe, the researchers said. About eight nations -- mostly in the developing world -- did not follow the U-shaped pattern for happiness levels, Oswald and his colleague David Blanchflower of Dartmouth College in the United States wrote. 'It happens to men and women, to single and married people, to rich and poor, and to those with and without children,' Oswald said. 'Nobody knows why we see this consistency.' One possibility may be that people realize they won't achieve many of their aspirations at middle age, the researchers said. Another reason could be that after seeing their fellow middle-aged peers begin to die, people begin to value their own remaining years and embrace life once more. But the good news is that if people make it to aged 70 and are still physically fit, they are on average as happy and mentally healthy as a 20-year old."

German airline to offer nudist flight.

Italian MP called 'faggot, fairy' and 'traitor' for voting against party lines in order to defend Italian Premier Romano Prodi: "The name-calling erupted on the floor of the Italian Senate on Jan. 24 as Sen. Stefano 'Nuccio' Cusumano shocked fellow members of the tiny Udeur Party by declaring his support for Prodi. The party decided a week earlier to withdraw from Prodi’s fragile ruling coalition, forcing a 'confidence' vote under Italy’s parliamentary system. The Senate voted 161 to 156 to defeat a resolution of confidence for Prodi, forcing him to resign immediately. Although the Udeur Party had helped Prodi form his center-left government in 2006, the party strongly opposed legislation backed by Prodi to provide legal rights and benefits for same-sex couples."

Gay Fort Worth city councilman Joel Burns talks to the Victory Fund, calls anti-gay attack a galvanizing moment: “That morning was an awful, terrible, not good morning. I thought of my mother and father, the little rural town that they live in, and waking up and reading the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and seeing my name on the front page. No parent ever wants to see their child attacked, even if they’re an adult.”

Sphere: Related Content

News: Interview Magazine, Tony Romo, Gayelle, Finger Length

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama exchange nasty radio ads here and here.

Tony Romo can't shake off the albatross that brought down the Dallas Cowboys.

Underground movement underway by lesbians who don't want to be called 'lesbian' anymore. Their replacement name: Gayelle.

Washington state legislature has largest gay caucus in the U.S.: "Marko Liias, a 26-year-old Democrat from Mukilteo, started the legislative session earlier this month, replacing former Rep. Brian Sullivan, who left the Legislature for the Snohomish County Council. Liias' arrival gives Washington six openly gay lawmakers, ahead of California's five. That makes Washington the state with the largest Capitol gay caucus, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based political action committee. 'Anything that we can do, me as an individual, or us as a state, to be leaders on this issue and be role models is excellent,' Liias told The Associated Press Wednesday. 'The message really is, everyone deserves a stake in Washington, and everyone has a stake in Washington's future.' Liias joins Reps. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver and Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines, and Sens. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, and Joe McDermott, D-Seattle." (CORRECTION: Victory Fund issues - statement: NH has most out legislators)

CLICK HERE if you're interested in knowing the funky name for the new James Bond film.

And guess who else has a new name? P Diddy.

Publisher Sandra Brant and editor-in-chief Ingrid Sischy leave Interview magazine.

Ceremony to be held on Monday in Westminster will remember Holocaust victims, including gays: "Groups such as the Roma, gay people and people with disabilities who also suffered under Nazi rule will be commemorated through song and imagery along with victims of other genocides.The event is part of a wider programme of education in Westminster's youth centres to explore the issues of racism, homophobia and sexism."

A closer look at finger lengths.

John Travolta had an obsession with Heath Ledger: "I wanted to meet him because I was very impressed with him from the very beginning. His agent introduced me to him at a party, and I just fell — I used every accolade. Actors need other actors to be inspired by, and he was 'my' actor....My feeling on Heath is I don't want to lose him at any age, 28 or 88, like Marlon Brando. I didn't like his passing, he was special to me, and he was a friend. At any age you don't want to lose someone like that — he was a valuable guy. I am truly sorry and my heart goes out to everyone who knew him and loved him, and actually, my heart goes out to me, I really don't like it. I don't like it…"

New South Wales police fight back against accusations of homophobia related to the recent surge of anti-gay violence in and around Sydney: "It should be pointed out that it can be very difficult for police officers to ask a victim whether they believe a crime was motivated by homophobia, or if it is a hate-related crime, especially if the victim has not voluntarily stated their sexuality. It is a sensitive topic that can lead to allegations of police either making inappropriate assumptions about someone’s sexuality or, or on the other hand, not treating a crime as a hate crime."

Jude Law spends a day at the beach.

Queerty talks to author Tom Dolby about his new book The Sixth Form.

Berlin film fesitval Panorama arthouse sidebar featuring a bunch of gay films: "Discrimination against gays and lesbians is one of this year’s hot topics in Dokumente and the subject of several films, including 'Das andere Istanbul,' by Doendue Kilic; 'East/West — Sex & Politics,' by Jochen Hick; 'Suddenly, Last Winter,' by Gustav Hofer and Luca Ragazzi, as well as Rosa von Praunheim’s 'Tote Schwule — lebende Lesben.'"

Maryland marriage bill gets new sponsors.

Sphere: Related Content

John Travolta Has Brekkie with Entertainment's Power Women

John Travolta to the Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Power 100 breakfast: "I woke up saying, 'What dress do I wear today?' Because I'm a woman who believes in the power of women, I said, 'Wear the suit.'"

More...

Sphere: Related Content

John Travolta Lays One On Kirk Douglas

John Travolta was receiving the Santa Barbara Film Festival's Kirk Douglas award, from 90-year-old Kirk Douglas, at the Four Seasons.

Who says romance is gone from the movies?

(more photos at dlisted)

Previously
John Travolta Not Bothered by Gay Rumors [tr]
Travolta's Tasty Take-off Kiss [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

News: Versace, Bush and PBS, Bully, Boston DJ, Hairspray

George W. bush tries to eliminate the $420 million federal subsidy for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. House rejects his bid by a vote of 357-72.

The NYT' Cathy Horyn recalls the days surrounding the Versace murder: "Ten years on, I asked [publicist Ed] Filipowski what stands out in his mind from that week. He and his partner, Julie Mannion, were inside the house the whole time, and Ms. Mannion had stayed with Versace’s body in the morgue, at his sister’s request, until she and her brother Santo could arrive from Italy. Mr. Filipowski thought for a moment and said: 'How personal and private they kept everything — that’s what I remember. With everything that was going on outside. It was: 'Our brother is dead.''"

Bonding: John Travolta's dance with 007.

Was NYC's steam explosion caused by human error? "CBS 2 HD learned that on June 10th, Con Edison was doing work at the very corner of 41st Street and Lexington Avenue where the explosion occurred. Crews were called to replace an eight-inch section of steam pipe that had sprung a leak."

Rockstar's Bully videogame coming to the Wii.

Good Morning Baltimore: Hairspray hits its home town.

Gay Boston DJ Barry Scott brutalized as police attack, claiming DJ "incited a riot" among partygoers following the officers' arrival on a noise complaint. Lawyer: "What it was motivated by was clearly rage that was out of control, and virtually every witness that I've interviewed thus far would confirm and corroborate that. This officer and his companion acted out of complete rage." More here and here.

Is this really artist Jenny Holzer's "Twitter" account?

Hillary Clinton cancels West Virginia campaign appearances at gay businesses, citing logistical problems.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith to host "Welcome to L.A." party for the Beckhams at L.A.'s Museum of Contemporary Art this weekend.

Fire Island dance festival opens this weekend: "Fire Island Dance Festival 13, running this weekend, will feature six world premieries along with emcees Whoopi Goldberg, Michael McElroy and Phylicia Rashad. Battleworks Dance Company, CorbinDANCES, MOMIX, Tapaholics, Trey McIntyre Project and choreographer Darrel Grand Moultrie will each present a world premiere. Other performers include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Chase Brock Experience, Jorge Guzman & Willem De Vries, Pascal Rioult Dance Company and Travis Wall & Ivan Koumaev."

How Michael Jackson might look today without all the plastic surgery.

Sphere: Related Content

Armistead Maupin on Gays and Scientology

Holy Moly reports on a book reading last night in London in which Armistead Maupin, who just released his latest novel, Michael Tolliver Lives, made clear his thoughts on Scientology — and Edna Turnblad:

Maupin: "...of course the Church of Scientology comes in very handy. (huge laugh from audience) It's the biggest ex gay movement in America. They catch you when you're young and confused, tell you they'll look after you, even provide you with a wife and child... Then of course you have to do what they call an audit, where you confess everything you've ever done into a tape recorder, so they've got the tapes. So once you're famous and successful you have to go along with all their nonsense about people falling into volcanoes... (pause)... then you play a woman in a movie musical, a part created by a drag queen and written by a gay man..."

We'd like many more tales of anything from Maupin, please...

(via dlisted)

You may have missed...
Armistead Maupin's Partner Speaks Out on Age and Dating [tr]
Gavin Newsom's Maupin Tribute: Tuesday is Michael Tolliver Day in SF [tr]
Armistead Maupin: How to Live Well at any Age [tr]
Hairspray: a Review [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

GLAAD Sounds the "All Clear" for Chuck and Larry

GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) continues to put itself out there for I Now Pronounce you Chuck and Larry, saying the film promotes tolerance more than any use of broad comedic strokes might unwittingly mock the real-life struggle for marriage rights. Given its subject matter (two firefighters pretend to be gay in order to collect domestic partner benefits), there's little doubt that Chuck and Larry would have gays and lesbians involved in such struggles eyeing it suspiciously. One can see it in the comments to posts Towleroad has published on the movie already.

One commenter notes: "Let me see if I can get this straight (literally.) Gays can't marry and are therefore not eligible for the thousands of federal benefits that come with marriage. But these straight guys are pretending to get 'married' in order to get our second-class citizen domestic-partner rights? The entire premise of this movie is offensive. And we're supposed to be grateful that they throw in a few lines 'promoting' tolerance?Jesus, do they think we're that stupid?"

Another, based on having seen the trailers, says: "[They] are filled with what the typical straight person will think is funny, primarily gay stereotyped humor. Despite the fact most gays in America still do not have the opportunity to enjoy domestic partner benefits is not funny, and hopefully this point will come up in the film, but I will be surprised if it does. Somebody else will have to tell me if it does though, because I can't stand Adam Sandler and have no intention of seeing this drivel."

Damon Romine, entertainment media director for GLAAD, has been coming to the film's defense. In a statement to the Boston Herald published today, he agrees with the comments that the movie is punctuated with stereotypes, but says they are used to raise questions rather than offend: "Through this disarming type of comedy, there is this use of stereotypes and slurs, and it holds the mirror up for people to ask, ‘Where does this come from?’ At the end of the day, this is a comedy that actually stresses the importance of family and treating others with dignity and respect. The film actually does send a very strong message. I can’t imagine a studio movie being made five years ago that even dealt with marriage equality and discrimination."

Another Towleroad commenter who claims to have worked on the film sides with GLAAD: "Ok, I've seen this movie (I worked on it) and I'll tell you that everyone's getting too up in arms about it. It's a pretty harmless movie (too saccharine sweet and predictable for my taste) and the only offensive stereotype isn't even of a gay guy (to me, at least.) It goes overboard with the 'accept one another' (I know it isn't PC to say that, but really... it's tremendously overboard with the sentiment) and you can pretty much predict how everything is going to unravel after the first 15 mins. However, not truly offensive (at least to this gay man.) I'm more curious to see how this will play in the Red states..."

Some have suggested that the movie's premiere, scheduled for tomorrow night, was scheduled purposely to go up against the opening night of Los Angeles' largest LGBT film festival, Outfest — a night on which many of the industry's "gay Hollywood mafia" would be unavailable. Others wondered why, when gay-themed mainstream movies have in the past been made tentposts in the festival's line-up, Universal has made no attempt to have anything to do with it.

Of course, as with any product that comes out of Hollywood, it's difficult to please all the people all the time. Perhaps the best advice is to see it and judge for yourself. But this is the first film in a long time that I have noticed GLAAD putting such a preemptive stamp on. And since GLAAD and Universal have touted their efforts at working together on the film so publicly, this may well be seen as a test of how accurately the industry watchdog is living up to its name.

Gay advocacy groups pronounce Sandler’s ‘Chuck and Larry’ A-OK [boston herald]

You may have missed...
Scheduling of Chuck & Larry Premiere Jousts Gay Film Fest [tr]
Adam Sandler Jokes About Sex with Kevin James [tr]
Adam Sandler and Kevin James' Wedding Photo [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

Hairspray: a Review

[[WARNING: SPOILERS]]

Last night I saw an advance screening of Hairspray and while I went into the movie with my John Travolta shield at full power expecting the film to be a tired rehash of material I had seen before, I was pleasantly surprised, awakened by its raw energy and enthusiasm. I left the film thinking to myself that if a classic camp movie were to be retold on stage and then translated back to movie format, the newest Hairspray comes very close to the best possible outcome of that scenario. It feels like the logical creative progression to a story we've seen many times before.

The plot of the film is familiar to many: overweight girl overcomes fat bias to win a place on early 60's TV dance show and successfully battles Baltimore's segregation issues at the same time.

Many of the original film's lines are intact, including "Penny Pingleton, you are permanently, perenially, punished" (I'm sure I didn't get that exactly right) and the entire schtick about Edna Turnblad ironing ("My diet pill is wearing off!").

In fact, when I heard Travolta utter that line from the depths of his fat suit I was sure I was going to hate his portrayal, as Divine cast such a long (and large) shadow in that role. Whereas Divine uttered it as a brash warning to Tracy, Travolta's line reading is quiet, almost muttered.

So let's get to Travolta, who is certainly not the main character of the film but the one offered the most pre-show hype because of his transformation. I was trying to forget all the things he has said in press interviews for the film and just let the performance ride on its own. Travolta's Edna Turnblad is not the stern, commanding camp presence that Divine offered up, but at first a sort of strangely meek recluse who speaks in muted tones in an affected Baltimore accent.

With Divine, the breasts and the fat jiggling from the arms and the gaudy make-up was really in your face and with Travolta it's as if a fat suit has swallowed the Scientologist and all that remains of the actor himself are those familiar beady eyes staring out from a sea of plump, white seamless dough.

Travolta grows on you however, and his character really comes into her own when Edna dances, putting all that fake flesh into motion. It's then that the audience erupts into laughter, and the moment didn't happen nearly often enough. Edna Turnblad's voice is also strangely inconsistent, veering from the affected Baltimore accent back to Travolta's voice, in and out of character, again and again. I never forgot that it was John Travolta inside that fat suit, but his portrayal did win me over as the movie went on.

Also, gone is the seedy Baltimore that John Waters gave us, replaced by a freshly-rinsed happy-go-lucky Hollywood musical version. Waters' dark, twisted camp sensibilities have vanished, though his presence is still felt (once quite literally). The city here is crisp and colorful while Waters' Baltimore has always been dusted in a shadowy layer of thrift store grunge.

It's obvious that director Adam Shankman began his career in Hollywood as a choreographer, for the movie moves along at a dancer's pace. My boyfriend noted that he thought that the performances were not very well directed but the movement and pace of the story more than made up for it at the end.

Hairspray's diverse cast is its best asset.

"Discovery" Nikki Blonsky (Tracy Turnblad), who came, literally, from behind a counter at a Cold Stone Creamery and was plucked for the role from open casting auditions, has made herself a name to be reckoned with, even though her performance does not stray much from the character that Ricki Lake originated way back when.

Christopher Walken (Wilbur Turnblad) gives a quiet, endearing performance as Tracy's father and gag joke/novelty shop owner. Michelle Pfeiffer and Brittany Snow (Velma and Amber von Tussle) provide cartoonish, villainous foils to the film's themes of tolerance and integration. And James Marsden and Zac Efron twinkle as the squeaky clean leading men.

Queen Latifah is a commanding presence as Motormouth Maybelle. The movie actually strays from its two-dimensional cartoonlike box for a moment and reaches another, more emotional place altogether when she takes to the streets in a protest for integration, singing the gospel-tinged track "I Know Where I've Been".

And I won't soon forget Allison Janney as the uptight Christian bigot mom shouting "devil child" as she tosses holy water at her daughter Penny Pingleton, whom she's imprisoned in her bedroom. Seaweed (Elijah Kelley) is a standout and gives perhaps the best vocal performance of the film as Penny's (Amanda Bynes) "checkerboard" love interest. Bynes is perfect as the blinking airhead Penny. And Jerry Stiller is a great bonus as plus-size dressmaker Mr. Pinky.

The only real disappointment in the cast, because she didn't live up to the hype that the script built for her, was Little Inez (Taylor Parks), whose turn as Corny Collins' new, young dancing discovery wasn't dazzling enough to fill the plot that had been constructed.

And we're also treated to a few cameos, which I'll leave as a surprise.

Overall, I'd recommend Hairspray. It's an optimistic piece of filmmaking and a worthy summer diversion. I think it's particularly difficult to come at a piece of well-loved material and try to give it a fresh perspective. And they've succeeded here.

Hairspray hits theaters on July 20th.

You may have missed...
Drag Not Really a Drag for Travolta in Hairspray [tr]
Trick or Treat: More John Travolta as Edna Turnblad [tr]
John Travolta's New Look [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

Drag Not Really a Drag for Travolta in Hairspray

Going further than his most recent chat with W magazine, John Travolta gave an interview with the Daily Mail in which he noted how horrible it was that rumors about his sexuality resurfaced last August. It was then that the National Enquirer published photos of the actor kissing another man on the tarmac.

Said Travolta: "You have to be ready to battle the worst insults, the worst innuendos. People say things that hurt. I think: 'Wow, so because I have money or fame, I don't have problems? I don't have feelings?' OK, I'll try not to take offence at that."

Yeah, it's horrible to be thought of as gay. Though Hairspray's director Adam Shankman, or producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, or executive producer John Waters would likely have a difference of opinion.

Curiously, enough, Travolta said just the opposite about the rumors to W: "I don't think anyone can hurt me."

At the time, Travolta's publicist called the kiss (with his male nanny) a "customary, non-romantic gesture."

Travolta also goes further into the creation of his Edna Turnblad role:

"I wanted [Edna] to look like Sophia Loren if you added 200lb. I wanted her to be a sexy bombshell who was fun to look at. "Being Edna was fun, but becoming Edna was not fun. I loved the effect the look had on people when they would see me on set as Edna, but I did not love the process involving the prosthetics and the fat suit. It was very hot. I knew from Robin [Williams, who starred in Mrs Doubtfire] and Martin Lawrence [from Big Momma's House] that it was hell on wheels! It was like wearing seven layers of very uncomfortable clothing and I remember thinking I would never want to be a woman if that was the case. I know my mother had a girdle, bra and sometimes a cinch, but, wow! How do they endure stockings and high heels? The discomfort level was astonishing, but losing the suit was like coming out of a prison. I didn't want to do a drag joke. I wanted to do Edna like the great musical stars, so people could have the joy of me really being someone else. They were determined to make her like a refrigerator and I said: 'That's not going to work, I won't do it.' I took a personal interest in designing that lady so she had a figure. I said: "Give me a little waist. Give me big breasts and a big butt. I want her to look like a woman. Imagine Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Anita Ekberg - that's what I want.' And I won that [battle]. They kept bringing me these skinny high heels but when I was growing up, I saw girls in the chorus with a thicker-heeled shoe, more like a dance shoe, and when they finally found it, I said: 'Make it in many colours. The polka dot dress, because it reminded me of images I have in my mind of the Fifties and of people like Sophia and Anita. And of course, we had to get the right wig, too, which was a hoot."

And what seems to be the most exciting part for Travolta:

"It must have worked since guys from the crew were hitting on me. I was so flirted with and so groped! I was convinced I was a slut because I was like: 'Go ahead - touch me! I don't care!' But as soon as I took it all off, there was a real coolness, like: 'Oh well, it's just him. I liked the other person more.'"

We probably will too.

More on this topic from Michelangelo Signorile...

you may have missed...
John Travolta Not Bothered by Gay Rumors [tr]
Atty: Travolta Manny Kiss a "Customary, Non-Romantic Gesture" [tr]
John Travolta: Global Warming Hypocrite? [tr]
Trick or Treat: More John Travolta as Edna Turnblad [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

John Travolta Not Bothered by Gay Rumors

In an interview in the new issue of W magazine, John Travolta talks Hairspray, Scientology, and, oh yeah, those pesky gay rumors:

"Travolta acknowledges that he might sometimes feel 'minor stress' when deciding if he's ready to handle the attention that his public appearances often incite, but he has apparently been able to draw a clear line in his own mind between private life and public persona. 'I have never felt compelled to share with you my bathroom habits or share with you my bedroom habits,' he says. 'Everyone has a right to privacy, so I have never felt—even though I am famous—that I had to share that with anybody.' Indeed, at the end of the interview, after the tape recorder has been turned off, he is posed one last question: Is he bothered by the rampant rumors about his sexuality, and does he think they've affected his career? 'No and no,' says Travolta casually. 'What affects your career is the quality of the product.' Besides, he adds with his typical confidence, 'I don't think anyone can hurt me.'"

Travolta also says that he exerted control over his Hairspray drag by demanding that Edna Turnblad have a "wasp waist".

Said Travolta: "I said, 'If you give me a big waist, then I become Grandma. You can make her ass as big as you want, her tits as big as you want, but if you don't bring her in...I can't play what I want to play.'...It's like a Picasso sketch. I didn't want Edna to look like she was any more than 110 pounds, even though she was maybe 300."

You may have missed...
Atty: Travolta Manny Kiss a "Customary, Non-Romantic Gesture" [tr]
John Travolta: Global Warming Hypocrite? [tr]
Trick or Treat: More John Travolta as Edna Turnblad [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

News: Michael Moore, iPhone, Coral Smith, John Travolta

Coral Smith, former Real World housemate, comes out: "I’m definitely venturing toward my lesbian qualities. It’s been a long time coming. At that time, I was really unsure. That was not the proper venue, the proper platform. To come out to your parents on a fucking reality show, I think that’s just mean, so I didn’t."

Stavros Niarchos: Flying solo.

Dare Odumuye, founder of Nigeria's gay rights organization Alliance Rights Nigeria, has died at 41: "Although details of his death remain hazy, a friend confirmed that he died “after a long illness,” and Odumuye himself had noted that six members of the organisation’s board had died of AIDS between 2000 and 2002. Odumuye, the former manager of an insurance company, founded Alliance Rights on 2 July, 1999 after seeing friends, one of whom was a senior executive of a bank, sacked and harassed for being gay. In 2003, Alliance Rights Nigeria won a Breaker of Silence Award and in 2004 it was among the lesbian and gay organisations which, in a groundbreaking event for this deeply homophobic country, made the first-ever appearance at the country’s fourth national Aids conference in the capital, Abuja."

Blotter: Suicide bomber teams sent to U.S., Europe.

Lesbian blogger Jasmyne Cannick has begun a petition to get Isaiah Washington his job back on Grey's Anatomy, saying his firing was racist. (Petition)

It's coming: iPhone application list.

Religious groups hoping to "reclaim" a Moscow park from gay men who use it as a meeting place, say they were beaten up: "Interfax news agency has reported that late on Saturday night five young men went to the police to report an attack on them carried out by up by eight men."

Star Jones and hubby head out for a Hamptons birthday bash.

Michael Moore's Sicko pirated. Shows up on YouTube, others...

Scientologist John Travolta thinks he has the answer to what's behind Virginia Tech, Columbine, and all the other maniacal school shootings: "I still think that if you analyze most of the school shootings, it is not gun control. It is [psychotropic] drugs at the bottom of it."

Bush administration trying to muzzle hurricane director after he makes unfavorable comments about where the federal government's money is going.

Artist Eve Mosher is drawing a chalk line around New York City to bring awareness to the effect global warming could have on the city: "The chalk demarcates a point 10 feet above sea level, a boundary now used by federal and state agencies and insurance companies to show where waters could rise after a major storm. Relying partly on research conducted by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University, Ms. Mosher is trying to draw attention to projections that the chance of flooding up to or beyond her line could increase significantly as a result of global warming." (video)

Hillary Clinton has chosen Celine Dion's "You and I" as her campaign song.

British teacher who had mother-approved affair with underage male pupil is given a year in jail. Judge: "It is perfectly apparent that the boy was already a person who was attracted to you. Indeed, much that occurred was at his instigation. Sadly, though, this case is a classic example of a substantial and serious breach of trust."

346 same-sex couples have registered partnerships in the Czech Republic since they were legalized last July.

OMG Blog ripped off by Yahoo!

Sphere: Related Content

News: Mr. Wizard, Diana, Katie Couric, Tom Wolfe, Mass Migration

"Mr. Wizard" dies at 89.

Princes Harry and William give U.S. interview about Diana. Harry: “I mean – so after it happened we were always, you know, always thinking about it. And there’s not a day goes by I don’t think, you know, that I don’t think about it once in the day. And so for us is a very slow and it’s a lot – it has been a long time. Over the last 10 years I personally feel as though she has been... she’s always there...She’s always being a constant reminder to both of us and everybody else. And therefore I think when you’re being reminded about it, it does take a lot longer and it’s a lot slower. It’s weird because I think when she passed away there was never that time, there was never that sort of lull. There was never that sort of peace and quiet for any of us – the fact that her face was always splattered on the paper the whole time.”

Provincetown begins archival undertaking to preserve its history.

Geri Halliwell trains with a beast.

CBS Chief Executive Les Moonves says sexism to blame for Katie Couric's low ratings on the CBS Evening News: "I’m sort of surprised by the vitriol against her. The number of people who don’t want news from a woman was startling...Some of our changes didn’t work. If TV news doesn’t want to go the way of the newspapers, which are declining rapidly, then we have to try change."

"Ex-gays" pissed that Montgomery County, Maryland is teaching kids that homosexuality is genetic: "According to the American Psychiatric Association, there are no replicated scientific studies supporting any specific biological cause for homosexuality. But now the Montgomery County Board of Education has done what science and medicine could not do by declaring in its newly approved curriculum that homosexuality is "innate" or inborn. The board could not produce any factual evidence for what it will now teach students -- only political "pledges" and payoffs for last year's school board elections as claimed by gay rights activists."

Reichen flaunts the family jewels for gay jewelry line.

John Travolta's entire family stays up all night and sleeps during the day to avoid paparazzi, the actor says: "We're like the Addams family or the Munsters, living sort of an odd, nocturnal life. My kids probably stay up too late. My wife goes to bed around three, and I follow around seven. Right now, there's just you and me, and no one interfering in our space."

Horse drowns during county "dunking" tradition: "The animals are ridden bareback into the water. When their feet come off the ground, they begin to swim. Tradition dictates that the horse's head should be dunked beneath the surface before it is ridden on to dry land again. But this distressed animal is thought to have pulled away from its owner in a panic, lost its footing and possibly broken a leg. It sank beneath the water and re-emerged but its rider continued the ritual, dunking the horse's head under the water. Again, the animal disappeared, but did not surface again. Worried onlookers began a human chain to pull the horse to shore. But by the time it was brought to the bank, it was dead. The rider fled."

Massive wildlife migration discovered in Sudan: "More than a million animals, including elephants, buffaloes, ostriches, lions, giraffes and a rare type of stork, have been unexpectedly seen living and migrating across Southern Sudan, where no surveys of wildlife had been conducted for the past 25 years due to civil war in the region."

Tom Wolfe surprised to learn that Gus van Sant was directing an adaptation of his Ken Kesey chronicle The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Said Wolfe: "I'm really interested to see what they do," he said. "The biggest problem will be the LSD trips that can be done so much better in print than on film."

Sphere: Related Content

News: James Holsinger, Andy Baldwin, NYC Hurricane, Sopranos

Seattle man beaten by group after being taunted with a gay slur: "On Sunday, the couple was together about 2:40 a.m. in the 700 block of East Pike Street when they heard someone utter a slur toward gay men, according to a police report. The victim, a man in his 20s, turned and approached the man who made the comment. That man, who was with a group, punched the victim and threw him to the ground, at which point four to six others joined in the attack, according to a police report. The victim suffered a cut behind his left ear. Firefighters treated him at the scene, a police report said. The group ran to a nearby car and sped away."

Some gay fans call for a boycott of Hairspray because of John Travolta, Scientology, and the cult's position on gays.

Gay marriage bill likely to pass State Assembly in New York. Senate a tougher nut.

New Fest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival award winners announced

Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell endorses Bush's anti-gay Surgeon General nominee James Holsinger: "Dr. Holsinger is a proven leader who has dedicated his career to improving health education and services in Kentucky and across the nation. He is an excellent choice for Surgeon General and I look forward to his quick confirmation."

Jake Gyllenhaal spends some time with his fans.

More on Armistead Maupin's new tome Michael Tolliver Lives: "Instead of randy hippies who smoke joints, as they did when the series began in 1976, the aging lefties of 'Michael Tolliver Lives' pop joint and arthritis pills. Instead of plotting nightly sexual conquests, as they did as 20-something singles, many profess shock at the level of promiscuousness practiced by today's youth."

Anti-gay Republican presidential hopeful Tom Tancredo's campaign webmaster Tyler Whitney is outed. Said Tancredo's senior advisor Bay Buchanan: "A person's sexual preference is a personal matter and has nothing to do with the campaign."

Sopranos creator David Chase on the show's uneventful finale: "I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there. No one was trying to be audacious, honest to God. We did what we thought we had to do. No one was trying to blow people's minds, or thinking, 'Wow, this'll (tick) them off.' People get the impression that you're trying to (mess) with them and it's not true. You're trying to entertain them."

Bachelor Andy Baldwin takes to the surf in Hawaii.

U.S. States renamed for countries with similar GDPs. (via kottke)

NYC due for major hurricane, experts say: "The last hurricane to hit New York was the so-called Long Island Express in 1938. It killed 50 people on the Island, more than 700 along the Eastern seaboard. In the years since, hurricanes with names like Bob, Floyd, and Gloria, have also made an impact, but we've been spared a direct hit. Experts say a major hurricane could pack 130 mph winds, and a 30-foot storm surge. There would be flooding in all five boroughs, the subways and much of lower Manhattan could be under water. Damage estimates would top $100 billion."

Ted Allen talks desert island cuisine: "First of all, I'm not eating Carson [Kressley]. He'd be all stringy. Carson is a little too lean. Tom Colicchio is a delicious-looking man, but I think I'd have to go with Rupert. Many of us in the community would find him the most delicious. If we're on a desert island, I'd dig a pit. Something spicy or sort of Caribbean would be good for Rupert Everett."

Kevin Spacey attended the Tony Awards after-party at the Hotel on Rivington's penthouse with his dog Minnie.

Sphere: Related Content

News: Tammy Faye, Moscow Mayor, Paris Hilton, Gay Football

Homophobic Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov invited to Gay Pride in Stockholm by Swedish politicians: "'It is enormously important that (Russia) moves in the right direction and respects human rights. Being homosexual belongs to those rights,' said Liberal Party member Lotta Edholm, one of the co-signers...They invited Luzhkov to attend the gay pride parade in Stockholm on Aug. 4 "in order for you to see the power of love." Edholm said there had been no immediate reply from the mayor."

Tammy Faye Messner speaks about cancer: "I would say I'm in pain almost 100 percent of the time. My back hurts, so I had to go to a wheelchair. And I have a very bad tummy all the time. When they said there's nothing more we can do, for just about a minute I felt sorry for myself, had my little pity party. Then I said, 'I've got somebody bigger than the doctors, I know the Lord, Jesus Christ, and he can do something for it.' He's the only one that can, and so I just trust Him every day. Today I want you to remember: You can't go forward, looking in the rear view mirror, yesterday is gone, you cannot put a broken egg back together again so don't spend your energy trying."

Yahoo! profiles gay blogger Mike Rogers of BlogActive: "Rogers is a muckraking gay blogger who uses his insider's knowledge of Washington politics and broad blanket of contacts to 'out' gay politicos — but only, he says, if they are undermining gay rights."

Glastonbury Festival line-up announced: "The Who, The Killers and Arctic Monkeys will be headlining on the Pyramid Stage during the three-day event. Among the more than 200 acts listed are Rufus Wainwright, Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, The Gossip, Paul Weller, Chemical Brothers and Shirley Bassey. The festival, which starts on 22 June, will be the largest yet, with an extended capacity of 177,500."

Gay British pop star Marc Almond returns...

Travolta lauded for Hairspray.

Hotscots FC, Scotland's first gay football team forms: "Kevin Rowe set up Hotscots FC, which now has around 20 players, in February and he already has set his sights on the gay World Cup in 2008 in London. The 34-year-old, of Leith Walk, played for the Yorkshire Terriers before moving to Edinburgh last year to work as a fundraiser for the Scottish SPCA. A keen footballer since his school days, he said some gay players felt 'uncomfortable' and had suffered discrimination in other teams. He said: 'It's for gay people who like football, but who feel a little intimidated playing in straight teams. The social side is very important.'"

The NYT makes a visit to eccentric artist Hunt Slonem's Louisiana plantation house: "Mr. Slonem says that one morning he went swimming and saw faces looking at him from the trees, and a psychic friend later identified them as slaves who died in an epidemic. He’s also seen a woman in a blue antebellum dress passing through. He says that not only do these old houses choose you, but somehow you are metaphysically adopted by all the families that lived in them before, and those people tell you what they think."

State Department orders website to remove photos of new luxe $592 million embassy in Iraq: "According to news reports, 'Some U.S. officials acknowledged that damage may have been done by the postings and used expletives to describe their personal reactions.' But it is unclear whether the damage was done to security or public relations. (Aerial images of the embassy can be easily obtained from sites like Google Maps.) The real damage of these images comes from bolstering the perception of a long-term U.S. occupation. While Americans will be living in posh quarters, the citizens of Baghdad are currently surviving with just 5.6 hours of electricity a day. Baghdad was also recently rated the world’s worst city in which to live."

Bill O'Reilly on Mitt Romney: "He’s got the jaw going on, the little gray thing in there. And I think that means a lot in America."

Paris Hilton's prison cell revealed.

Researchers find traces of cocaine and pot in the air pollution of Rome: "The results found that in Rome, there were traces of cocaine and cannabis -- as well as nicotine, caffeine and benzopirene, which is commonly released in cigarette smoke and auto emissions."

Sphere: Related Content

News: Hairspray, Knut, Day of Silence, Cannes Film Festival

"Day of Silence" tensions, combined with the recent fever over violence at Virginia Tech, lead to lockdown at Indiana High School: "The Day of Silence at New Castle Chrysler High School coincided with a national Day of Silence and aimed to support gay, bisexual and transgender students. 'People were in their shirts for it, people were in their shirts against it, and it just caused a lot of drama that I didn't think was needed,' said student Kayla Boyles."

Berlin's global warming icon, Knut the baby polar bear, is the target of an anonymous death threat.

Middlebury College in Vermont, one of the Advocate's top 100 colleges for gays and lesbians, is tagged with anti-gay graffiti.

Netflix cashes in on Virginia Tech killings, featuring Oldboy, film killer modeled himself after.

Line-up announced for Cannes Film Festival: Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights to open fest; Gus van Sant back in competition with Paranoid Park...

ERUPTING: Thousands flee Colombian volcano.

Purported David Beckham nude an instant internet hit!

Gaydar founder Gary Frisch, who plunged to his death from an eighth-floor balcony in early February, was found to have raised levels of ketamine in his body: "Estate agent Stephen Ruddock was standing outside a nearby building when he saw Mr Frisch's body hit the ground. He said Mr Frisch shouted 'Waheey' moments before he plunged to his death. Mr Ruddock said: 'It was a celebratory thing. I saw his body come into my line of sight. It arced in the air and hit the ground.' Pathologist Dr Peter Wilkins said raised levels of ketamine were found in Mr Frisch's blood and liver. He added: 'It can have similar effects to LSD, confusion and hallucinations.' Recording a verdict of misadventure, the coroner, Dr Paul Knapman, said: "I don't think that it can be said he intended to kill himself. 'This is not suicide at all. He jumped to his death from the balcony of his flat on the eighth floor while under the influence of drugs.'"

Baby pilot whale found swimming in Brooklyn, dies.

Hairspray trailer hits the internet Aqua Net.

Kathmandu, Nepal gets its first gay beauty salon: "The salon, which offers regular beauty parlour services like haircuts, facials, manicures and pedicures, is also a training academy for members of the gay community who want to train as beauticians. The first batch of 10 young metis - gay men who dress as women - is running the salon under the aegis of the Blue Diamond Society (BDS), Nepal's sole gay rights group." The Blue Diamond Society recently received two awards from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission for grassroots groups making an impact in gay rights.

The Emma dilemma: "A 7-year-old girl is at the center of a court battle that is equal parts gay rights struggle, jurisdictional quandary and legal ethics question."

Sphere: Related Content