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Actors who played gay roles

Philip Wuntch — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:49:47 +0000

At this point, Sean Penn ranks high among probable Best Actor Oscar nominees. The dynamic Penn stars as assassinated gay politico Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant’s Milk, which opened nationwide Nov. 26. There was a time, though, when such a role would have been considered risky. Among those who proved otherwise: Hugh Jackman. What’s this, People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive once played gay? Yes, and he was heaped with praise for it. Although Jackman’s buff performance in Australia, not to mention X-Man Wolverine, helped make him People’s cover boy, he won a Tony as gay entertainer Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz. That musical hasn’t made it to the screen yet, but if it does, you can be sure Jackman will be cast. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Probably the movie world’s most famous onscreen gay couple, they moved critics and moviegoers in Brokeback Mountain(Watch) . But when Brokeback surprisingly lost the 2005 Best Picture Oscar to Crash, Academy homophobia was blamed. Maybe Oscar voters will anoint this year’s Penn as means of erasing that label. Russell Crowe. Six years before Gladiator, Crowe played a good-natured gay in 1994’s The Sum of Us. He and his widowed father bond while searching for appropriate Significant Others. However, Crowe was reportedly offended when he and his rock band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts played San Francisco and gays threw their underwear onstage. Meryl Streep. In 2002’s The Hours, Madame Meryl played a plain-spoken lesbian who vainly tries to keep AIDS-ridden friend Ed Harris from suicide. And near the beginning of her movie career, when handlers discourage such role choices, she played Woody Allen’s ex-wife in Manhattan. When she writes a book explaining how her same-sex relationship had been much more nurturing than her marriage, Woody’s character was not amused. Didn’t hurt Meryl’s career at all.

From Hollywood to Broadway

Philip Wuntch — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:50:21 +0000

Few things validate a Hollywood star like a Broadway success. When movie stars tire of Hollywood type-casting or feel that their onscreen glow has softened, they turn bi-coastal and head east to Broadway. Celebs ranging from the late Katharine Hepburn to the very young Daniel Radcliffe have used this format to their advantage. Most Broadway sojourns produce the desired results. But not all.

Katie Holmes earned solid notices in the current revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, with Tom Cruise inevitably leading the opening-night applause. It was an example of smart planning on all corners. The 1947 play’s plot, in which a tycoon’s ill-gotten fortune comes from selling the Army faulty wartime artillery, is still topical. Katie’s role, while prominent, does not carry the action. Still, she held her own with footlights heavyweights John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest.

Daniel Radcliffe understandably seeks a change from the Harry Potter franchise. And his turn as Equus’s tormented stableboy undergoing extensive therapy is just what the doctor ordered. He won raves first on London’s West End and now on the Great White Way. The publicity generated by his nude scene didn’t hurt.

Debra Winger has announced plans to star in a Broadway version of the Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn/Sidney Poitier flick Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? Barack Obama’s political ascent makes the storyline freshly topical, and Winger’s waning star power has risen with her performance as Anne Hathaway’s mother in Rachel Getting Married. Rumors that her An Officer and a Gentleman star Richard Gere would play the Tracy role have been denied by the Gere camp. Perhaps someone remembered that they were not on speaking terms when Officer and Gentleman finished filming.

Morgan Freeman and Frances McDormand barely made a dent with last summer’s revival of Clifford Odets’ The Country Girl. The play remains best known for the movie version starring Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly as the unhappily married couple. Obviously, the producers wanted to steer as far away as possible from the Crosby/Kelly prototypes, but no dialogue was added regarding the revival’s fresh inter-racial element. But both Morgan and McDormand continue to be swamped with character roles in movies.

Best celebrity quotes

Philip Wuntch — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:25:46 +0000

The next couple of months we’ll find ourselves swamped with long-winded political rhetoric, some more convincing than others. So maybe it’s time to relax with celebrity quotes, some more heavyweight than others.

After 40 years of interviewing the glitterati, a few revelations linger in my memory:

Candice Bergen discussing feminism in 1979: “Whenever I go to a Women’s Lib meeting, I always walk in and say ‘Hi, guys!’ just to see how they respond. They usually just stare at me.”

Clint Eastwood in 2004, revealing the muse who inspired the strong female roles in such Eastwood films as Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, Play Misty for Me and with Angelina Jolie looming as Oscar-bait in Eastwood’s upcoming The Changeling: “When I was a young actor, I’d rush to the nearest television set if I knew a Bette Davis movie was on. She was the driving force in all her films, and her presence was always so compelling. She had a completely feminine persona, but she was as strong as any man. I was fascinated. ”

Lauren Bacall, discussing in 1994 how much she misses husband Humphrey Bogart, “When I met Bogie, I was a total virgin in every conceivable way. He taught me everything. And since [his death in] Jan. 14, 1957, something happens at least three times each day that reminds me I will never see him again. I would love to believe that after I die, he will greet me with his arms outstretched and we’ll dance in the clouds together. But I don’t believe that will happen. I’m not an atheist. But I just can’t bring myself to believe that will happen.”

The Divorce Files

Cyndi Hughes — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:03:00 +0000

Rumor has it that after seven years, Madonna and her Guy (right) are headed to divorce court. That got us at GetListy to thinking: There’s something about celebrity divorces that takes “nasty” to a whole new level. With that in mind, we pulled together some lists about high-profile splits.

Celebrity Divorces: Women Who Paid

Oh, let’s just call them “diva-orcées.” These famous women had to fork some serious cash over when their relationship hit the rocks (list courtesy of Forbes):

Janet Jackson & Rene Elizondo: $10 million
Jennifer Lopez & Chris Judd: $15 million
Jane Fonda & Tom Hayden: $2 million
Kirstie Alley & Parker Stevenson: $6 million
Chris Evert & Andy Mill: $7 million plus a $4 million home
Victoria Principal & Harry Glassman: Split $50 million
Elizabeth Taylor & Larry Fortensky: $1 million

The Nastiest Divorces

Let’s hope Madonna and Guy don’t end up in an updated version of these oh-so-ugly splits from ABC:

Paul McCartney & Heather Mills
Michael & Juanita Jordan
Charlie Sheen & Denise Richards
Britney & K-Fed
Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman
Kim Basinger & Alec Baldwin
Halle Berry & Eric Benet
Ron Perelman & Ellen Barkin (see below)
Liza Minelli & David Gest
Harrison Ford & Melissa Mathison
Lionel & Diane Richie

Billionaire Divorces

Madonna may not be a billionaire, but she might take heed of these big-time breakups as recounted by Forbes.

Ronald & Lisa Burkle
His worth: $2.5 billion
Her cut: $30 million

Kirk Kerkorian & Lisa Bonder
His worth: $9 billion
Her cut: $50,000 per month

Alexander & Carrie Otto
His worth: $10.4 billion (family fortune)
Her cut: $14 million

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda
His worth: $2 billion
Her cut: It was fast and civilized

Sumner & Phyllis Redstone
His worth: $7.5 billion
Her cut: What the court called an “equitable division”

Ronald Perelman and Wives #3 and #4
His Net Worth: $7 billion
Her cut: $50,000 per month (3rd wife Patricia Duff); $20 million (4th wife Ellen Barkin)
Her revenge: Barkin auctioned off $20 million worth of jewely her ex had given her.

Terms of Endearment: Prenuptial Agreements

Cyndi Hughes — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:25:46 +0000

Ah, the prenup — what could be less romantic than a contract spelling out who gets what in the event of a breakup? Paul and Heather could have used one, and the jury’s still out on Madonna and Guy. In the wonderful world of celebrity romance, the prenup is just another ring in the circus. MyWedding.com takes a look at some of the wackiest prenups:

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline

Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards

Liz Taylor and Larry Fortensky

Jack Welch and Jane Beasley Welch

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes (pictured)

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

Rosanne Barr and Tom Arnold

For details about each couple’s agreements, see the full article at MyWedding.com.