If Levi Johnston can be a gay icon in name only (which, let’s be honest, he isn’t even that), what’s to stop Vanessa Hudgens? Actually, hurting her chances of courting America’s gays is her showmance with Zac Efron. Nothing pisses us off more than the girl stealing the man we’re trying to claim. But aiding her attempt to win over homosexual men not of the tweenage demographic is Neil Patrick Harris, who is stunt casting the High School Musical alum in his three-day production of Rent.
“She came in for a work session, and I must say, Vanessa really impressed,” says Harris, who is directing the show. “She looks amazing, has great vocal chops and seems really committed to honoring the somewhat iconic role of Mimi. I look forward to audiences seeing a dark, edgy and very different side of Vanessa Hudgens this August.”
Dark and edgy, because Hudgens will be playing the role of Mimi, the one who sings about her viral loads.
We’ve spent more hours than we’d like to talk about wondering why tween sensations in the vain of Hudgens — like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale — haven’t developed the gay fan base that should come so easily. After all, these girls were our best friends in high school; they were the pretty popular girls protecting us from the mean jocks. And yet, whether it’s because of their age or Lady Gaga taking over all your sensory functions, they just aren’t registering. (The only one we can explain is that Miley figure, because not only is she a brat, she continues to admit she’s a cultural fraud, and we don’t accept The Inauthentics.)
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So does NPH have the power to induct a pretty musically-inclined lass into gay icon status? He hasn’t shown us that wizardry just yet. But if there’s anything we’ve learned to expect from Mr. Harris, it’s that a song and dance routine can convince us of anything.
Sidney
…wait…there’s a High School Musical cast version of Rent?
Ksyxx
@Sidney: That would be the most hilariously horrifying thing ever. But no, just Vanessa is trying to cross over from standard beard to hag extraordinaire.
I cringe at the thought of her singing half of Mimi’s songs though. Anyone know if NPH owed a tweeny niece or nephew some kind of present or bet loss that caused this casting?!
Lamar
I thought that Vannesa Hudgens was already a gay icon, she starred in HSM possibly the gayest musical of all time.
Reece
Good for Vanessa! I hope I get the chance to see her performance!
I still don’t get all this animosity over Miley Cyrus though. The girl is an entertainer and has songwriters creating many of her songs for her. If you want me to judge her because she hasn’t heard a Jay Z song before, that means I should also be judging actors like Jake Gyllenhaal for his role in Brokeback Mountain since he really isn’t gay. Entertainment is art and about expression, not about making sure your art always represents who you are individually in real life.
Miley will always be a gay icon to me because she took a huge risk by standing up and saying she thought we deserved the civil right to be married too.
I’ll take all the straight allies I can get to make this a reality and not stab them in the back when they put their neck on the line for those of us who are gay, thank you very much. 🙁
jason
I am just so sick of this concept of “female icons”. What do they actually do for us? All they do is treat us like handbags – worn and cast off when expedient – but not much else. Eventually, these women will get married and have children and then completely forget about us.
Perhaps in our desperation for a “shout out”, we latch onto these clearly manipulative women without really thinking it through.
Rin
Um, Jason, what is with the tude on women? I am a straight chick whose had the same gay friends since middle school. I don’t call them anything patronizing like “my gays”. I don’t treat them like accessories. I treat them like the old, dear friends they are.
We’re not all Kathy Griffin, ya know.
In fact, if you think back to high school (and I’m sure its not THAT different now)…it wasn’t straight guys being nice to you, guys defending you, was it? It was probably the chicks like me who stood up to bullies for you, helped you audition your lines for the school play, pretended to be your girlfriend so your father wouldn’t have a heart attack.
This female backlash pisses me off. I worked HIV/AIDS hospice as a teen when it was primarily gay men because gay men practically raised me. I always routed for the underdog and in my school the gay boys were underdogs.
When I see this stuff like women treating gay men like shoes…it burns my bottom! I got nothing out of being friends with the gay kids at my high school besides being chased around the mall. I don’t sell a million albums or get any benefit at all aside from having some loyal dear friends.
Grrrr! BTW, some of those gay icons (La Liz and Debbie Reynolds, for example, did a lot for gay rights when it absolutely was not cool to be involved).
Mr. Enemabag Jones
Anybody see her nudie pics? Very hot bod. Probably the only girl who ever made Zac question his true self.
Cat Walker
i hate this whole thumbs up/down system!
Jeremy
Almost every “Gay Icon” we have has some “mental” problems. Some egotistic, some lunatic, some phony and some are just plain stupid. The only “normal” one is probably Barbra Streisand. I guess part of what makes these crazy women become our icons is the fact that we gay are kinda addicted to their dramatic life. A straight girl who can be a true friend with gay, like Rin described herself, is a gem. If you can find a sweet, sane, drama-free “fag hag”- then keep her tight. Trust me, after holding too many hair for these drunken chicks and listen to their whining about men, I almost gave up finding my true “fruit fly”-until I find my Michelle.
PS: Hudgens is already a gay icon- she’s dating one of the gayest guy in Hollywood. She’s our new Liza!
chris
@Rin: well nobody else seems to have said anything to you, but i’ll take the time to say thank you. I have a few friends just like you and even though ny guy friends still treated me no differently when i came out, it was my friends like you who really made me comfortable in my gay skin 🙂
SSCHIEFRSHA
This chick is bangin’. I’ll do her in front of Zac. Zac can join if he wants to though. He bangin’ as hell too! There is NO man on earth who wouldn’t fuck that boy on the low. I don’t care how straight you are.
Lilly
@Jeremy: No, Jeremy, she’s not already dating one of the gayest guys in Hollywood. Why does everyone think that Zac is gay? He isn’t. And anyone here who says that he is….I want to know when did they meet Zac; when did they go into his bedroom; and when did they see him having sex with a man. You can’t just assume that someone is gay because you think that they “look” gay. People don’t “look” or “act” gay. That’s just racist bullshit.
JTG
“Miley will always be a gay icon to me because she took a huge risk by standing up and saying she thought we deserved the civil right to be married too.”
Well said, Reece.
On a slightly more related note, I really don’t understand the hateful comments that have exploded online because of this. NPH has very rarely steered us wrong, so I’d rather wait and see how Vanessa handles the role before bashing her mercilessly. That’s not to say I think she’ll be bad, though… perhaps we’re in for a surprise.
sammy
omg!!! vanessa hudgens plays a stripper!?!?! oh well, i thought this was going to be awesome until now 🙁 wtf was he thinking?!?!? nothing could be worse than watching vadgenessa screech into a microhpone! and besides, when we watch her on stage it won’t be really shocking. we’ve seen her naked b4. it won’t put her into a different light ‘coz i thought she was a stripper! and anyway she has been a gay icon for almost 4 years now! oh, and by the way…..did you know that vadge was razzie nominated for her annoying laugh and awkward dancing in hsm and bandslam! she was nominated 4 worst supporting actress! and she wants to win an oscar! no chance!!!
jamie
i hate vanessa hudgens! she ruined hsm with her annying laugh, terrible dancing and horriduos singing voice! nothing could be worse than watching that little whore scream into the microhpone, and besides who would want to see her boobs on stage anyway? not me! VANESSA HUDGENS U.R.A DIRTY WHORE!!!!!!