Musical theater grand poobah Steven Sondheim calls Gaga’s much-lauded Sound of Music Oscars performance a “travesty.” Why? “It was ridiculous, as it would be from any singer who treats that music in semi-operatic style. She had no relationship to what she was singing. What people liked was her versatility.”
Orlando Bloom locks lips with comedian David Walliams on Comic Relief. Must have been one hell of an afterparty.
Modern Family’s Cam and Mitchell, played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet respectively, will be seeking a divorce next season, only to discover gay divorce is not yet legal. They may as well just rename the show Postmodern Family.
A new book called Beefcake promises “some of the hottest vintage male imagery from the mid-twentieth century,” like this Trojan below. Link slightly NSFW.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Harry Potter stars Emma Watson and Emma Thompson will reunite in Disney’s live-action Beauty and The Beast. Watson will play the titular Beauty, while Thompson will do her best to step into Angela Lansbury’s shoes as Mrs. Potts (not to be confused with Mrs. Potter).
Charlie Hunnam reminisces about a time before Sons of Anarchy when he was more comfortable baring it all on screen. “I have done full frontal before. I did full frontal when I was 18 on the TV show Queer as Folk. But because I was playing a 15-year-old character, the censorship people wouldn’t allow us to put it on TV,” he said. “I think when I was young, I was a little bit more fearless with that stuff. I don’t know.”
Now:
Vs. then:
Desert Boy
Charlie Hunnam. Yummy. At any age.
MarionPaige
I really feel for poor Charlie Hunnam and the idiot situations he was put in at such a young age on that f-king idiot QAF. What gets me to this day, and what continues to make me hate that show, is this predatory look in the eye of this main character whenever he saw a potential conquest. QAF was like a wildlife documentary only gay men were the predators.
Tobi
@MarionPaige: Yup, fantastic, huh?!
jimontp
@MarionPaige: Oh TSK TSK. Poor Charlie. Most gay men at 15 or 16 knew what they wanted, and they were the predators, shy, backward, awkward, scared maybe, but not some victim. You’d know that if you were real and alive at 15.
lykeitiz
Couldn’t agree more with Sondheim about Gaga. She has a great voice & hit all the notes, but he’s right…..it’s not an opera piece. People just liked that she wasn’t singing in a meat dress.
Even though Carrie Underwood’s acting was sub-par on the live show, she totally nailed every song.
DistingueTraces
Gaga’s approach to Sound of Music was fine. Rodgers’ shows with Hammerstein edge towards operetta, very different from his shows with Hart.
And Julie Andrews was known at the time for her “legitimate voice” — which she poked fun at herself in Victor/Victoria.
jwtraveler
I’d like teenage characters on TV and in the movies to be played by teenage actors. Using 18, 21 or even 25-year-old actors to play teenagers because actual teenagers are not mature enough to play the roles is stupid and unethical. It gives the characters a false sense of confidence and sexual maturity which sets unrealistic examples for the teenagers who watch them. If you’ve ever seen the Canadian show “DeGrassi High” (featuring a young Drake), you see what happens when high school students are played by appropriately aged actors. They seem real.
JJinAus
Orlando looks like he is kissing David WAlliams, but what do I know?
Daggerman
…WOW! that Charlie Hunman is so knock down gorgeous—he still is…! Incredible..
Sansacro
@lykeitiz: Seen LG live. Best when she’s peforming on a piano. Otherwise, I just can’t get with her affect or off-base stage presence, especially when peforming standards or legit theatre. Scores of women like her on Long Island singing at weddings weekly. Julie Andrews a generous trooper, no question, and a great talent.
scotshot
@jwtraveler: Those under 18 may only work a limited amount of hours.
PARKAVMAN
Charlie was on the QAF in Britain. He is playing the young character, but I don’t know that the labor laws there are as strict as they are here. I’m sure he was of legal age there for the part. It was better than the American knock off anyway.
wordsmith
STEVEN Sondheim. Really?
Mr-DJ
Crammed faux pas: Cam and Mitchell played by Jesse and Erick “RESPECTIVELY”? Uh, no – you’ve used that term exactly opposite its meaning. (Sorry, couldn’t resist)
Mr-DJ
@Mr-DJ: And that’s supposed to say Grammer, not ‘crammed” in my posting. (DJ)
JJinAus
@Mr-DJ: Perhaps you mean “grammar”? (Couldn’t resist either)
Realitycheck
Lady Gaga did a super kick a$$ interpretation of Julie Andrews,
and Julie Andrews herself loved it and Gaga got a standing ovation and
great reviews the day after…. Come one Sondheim look for your own
brand of perfection somewhere else,really.
Lady Gaga has a spectacular voice.
inbama
She did a good musical job, but really, we don’t want to see her awkward acting and those tattoos in “Follies.”
Merv
Yeah, the tattoos are really unfortunate. However much “meaning” tattoos have for you, that doesn’t change the fact that they simply look trashy. Always have, and always will.
I didn’t think Gaga’s performance was too operatic. My only problem was that she copied Julie Andrews’ accent. Yes, you sometimes have to adopt a slight accent when performing certain pieces, but at most, she should have gone for a subtle mid-atlantic accent to avoid sounding too affected.
Realitycheck
True the tattoos were a big turn off, I wish she had cover them.
@Merv:
I saw an interview with Julie Andrews, and she said Gaga called her two months ahead of time asking her if she had any objection to Gaga doing the medley,
and Julie Andrews said of course not, infact Julie was tremendously flatter that Gaga work on the medley for two months to get the same high keys Julie
had used in the original songs.
But the tattoos LOL
Realitycheck
Charlie Hunnam my # is ……….. call me any time baby……
Random
Sondheim is right about Gaga. Her performance of those songs was cringe-worthy.
inbama
Being a great artist does not always make you a great critic as you can be too wedded to your own vision to see another.
The great man was totally wrong about that Porgy and Bess revival with Audra McDonald. It was riveting theater from start to finish.
crowebobby
Where Oh Where Oh Where is that censored full-frontal footage of Charlie?! My Kingdom . . . etc. I can’t die now knowing it exists somewhere and I’ve never seen it.
Brad Langtry
This may, or may not be true.