Category: Entertainment

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James Lipton, Host of ‘Inside The Actors Studio,’ Passes Away At 93

James Lipton (screen capture)
James Lipton, the longtime host and producer of Inside the Actors Studio, has died at the age of 93 from bladder cancer. From PEOPLE:

In 1994, he created Inside the Actors Studio and served as the host and executive producer from its inception until he stepped down in September 2018 after nearly 25 years. The show was one of cable’s longest-running series. He had also served as the Dean Emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City for several years.

Before launching Inside the Actors Studio, Lipton worked as an actor, appearing in TV shows throughout the 1950s including You Are There and Guiding Light. He most recently made an appearance on several episodes of Arrested Development as Warden Stefan Gentles.

Inside the Actors Studio focused on in-depth interviews with famous actors and actresses about their craft and careers. Lipton interviewed over 200 guests on the show, which began with Paul Newman who served as the Actors Studio president at the time.

I loved the show, and Lipton was perfection in drawing out experiences and wisdom from star actors at the top of their game. Each episode was its own ‘master class’ in acting. Rest in peace, James Lipton.

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Madonna: ‘This Broken Doll Held Together By Tape And Glue’ Needs Rest

Madonna rests up over Thanksgiving holiday (image via Instagram)
Madonna’s Madame X tour officially closes on March 11 and you have to imagine Madge can’t wait for that date to arrive. After taking a hard fall on stage at Le Grand Rex in Paris last Thursday, the Queen of Pop needed assistance from one of her dancers to hobble off-stage. The injury forced Madonna to cancel her Sunday night performance. She reached out to fans via Instagram to explain the situation:

Here I Am – Flesh and Blood. If only knees didn’t twist and cartilage didn’t tear and nothing hurt and tears never fell out of our eyes………But alas they do and Thank God for this important reminder that we are human.

I Fell 2 nights ago on stage when a chair was literally pulled out from underneath me by mistake and I landed on the floor on my tail bone. I made it thru the show last night but just barely because I hate disappointing. However today even I can see that this broken doll held together with tape and glue, needs to stay in bed and rest for a few days so she can finish the tour with a smile on her face and in one piece.

Since the launch of the Madame X tour last September, Madonna has canceled 13 performances. Most of the cancellations were injury-related, although two performances suffered from production issues. Along the way, she’s shared that a knee injury sustained during rehearsals has been the source of “unbearable pain” and has posted several pics and videos of post-show ice baths. Show business is hard, y’all.

 

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Here I Am——Flesh and Blood 🩸 If only knees didn’t twist and cartilage didn’t tear and nothing hurt and tears never fell out of our eyes………But alas they do and Thank God for this important reminder that we are human. I Fell 2 nights ago on stage when a chair was literally pulled out from underneath me by mistake and I landed on the floor on my tail bone. I made it thru the show last night but just barely because I hate disappointing. However today even I can see that this broken doll held together with tape and glue, needs to stay in bed and rest for a few days so she can finish the tour with a smile on her face and in one piece. ❌ Thank You for your understanding Paris! 🇫🇷 🙏🏼 #madamextheatre

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Podcast: Chatting With Emmy Award Winning Creators Of ‘After Forever’

The cast of ‘After Forever’ (via Instagram)
Join me as I chat with the Emmy Award-winning creators of the Amazon Prime Video digital series, After Forever. After Forever stars Kevin Spirtas (Dr. Craig Wesley on Days of Our Lives) and Mitchell Anderson (Doogie Howser, Party of Five) as a mid-life gay couple living in New York City who appear to have it all — until Jason’s untimely death forces Brian to think about his own future and ultimately his own mortality, without the love of his life. As Brian puts his life back together, Jason periodically appears to help him focus on his new life and moving on, most notably with his new boyfriend. Spritas co-created and co-wrote the series with acclaimed playwright Michael Slade. After Forever also stars familiar faces from TV, film and Broadway stages like Colleen Zenk (As the World Turns), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), Anita Gillette (Chapter Two), Mary Beth Peil (Dawson’s Creek), and Tony Award winner Cady Huffman (The Producers). The lauded series features a diverse group of characters who find their way through life’s constant changes, including relationships, love, and loss, in an often overlooked group – the mature gay man.
L-R Mitchell Anderson and Kevin Spirtas in ‘After Forever’
  Season One of After Forever was nominated for 8 Emmy Awards and won five including Outstanding Digital Drama Series, Outstanding Writing for a Digital Drama Series, and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Season Two has already been nominated for 10 Indie Series Awards including Best Drama Series, Best Ensemble Drama Series and a slew of acting, writing and directing nods as well. Hit play as I chat (and laugh) with two very talented men. For more info about the show, click over to afterforevertheseries.com.

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DIIMOND’s ‘Bad Attitude’ – When A Show Biz Dream Becomes A Living Hell

DIIMOND in ‘Bad Attitude’
Take some Billie Holiday, throw in a good amount of Prince and a dash of Sylvester, and you get a sense of where pop/R&B singer DIIMOND’s new music video, “Bad Attitude,” is going. The genderfluid artist sings of regret and frustration after being beaten, yet again, by his possessive manager, Damion. Directed by Leo Ramsey, the video is the first in a planned Neo-noir musical miniseries titled, “The Truth About Fairy Tales,” a story of control, manipulation, emotional abuse, and shattered dreams. Via press release:

Starring DIIMOND and actor Emrhys Cooper, and set in the hard-partying Hollywood nightclub scene, “The Truth About Fairy Tales” tells the true story of a struggling music artist (DIIMOND), whose life becomes intoxicatingly glamorous upon meeting his Prince Charming manager/producer, Damion (Cooper).

But living the romantic show biz dream soon becomes a living hell. Pretty boy Damion is exposed as the Ike to DIIMOND’s Tina Turner. Imprisoned, abused, and at the mercy of Damion’s drug-fueled rage and self-hatred, a shaken and terrified DIIMOND takes his revenge.

The storyline is apparently based on a bleak period in the life of the award-winning recording artist and former American Idol (Season 4) and America’s Got Talent (Season 6) contestant. You might recognize Cooper from his award-winning short film, Trophy Boy, which I covered here. Check out “Bad Attitude” below, then click here for more information about the musical miniseries.

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New Music: MAX ‘Where Am I At’

MAX (courtesy photo)
MAX drops the music video to his new single, “Where Am I At,” in advance of his upcoming album, Colour Vision, due out May 22. The artist, dubbed ‘Young Pop God’ by GQ Magazine, doesn’t rely on visual trickery in the new video as he sings facing directly into the camera in one long take. “‘Where Am I At’ is about the moment you realize you will never hug, never talk with, never say I love you to someone that means everything to you,” says MAX. “The moment you know they’re truly gone and all that’s left of them is what you remember. I didn’t know who I was anymore knowing I’d never be able to see her again.” MAX’s intense, sensitive delivery paired with soaring vocals takes the artist into new emotional terrain compared to recent releases.

The new track is the follow up to MAX’s “Checklist” featuring Chromeo released last November.  The bouncy pop bop (check out the colorful music video below) has accumulated millions of streams and charted at Top 40 radio. Released last April, MAX’s smash hit single “Love Me Less” featuring Quinn XCII reached No. 17 at Top 40 Pop Radio, has over 170 million streams worldwide and continues to grow. MAX has performed the song live on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The TODAY Show, and LIVE With Kelly and Ryan. MAX also announced the first leg of his North American tour with nearly a dozen dates so far and has surpassed over 1 billion total career streams.

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Viral ‘Shallow’ Singer Delivers Powerhouse Performance On ELLEN

Charlotte Awbery with Ellen DeGeneres (screen capture)
What a great feel-good story to get you over Hump Day! You may have seen the viral video clip zooming around social media of a woman stopped in the London subway by video blogger Kevin Freshwater. In the video, Freshwater thrusts his microphone into the face of Charlotte Awbery asking her to ‘finish the lyric’ as he begins the Lady Gaga smash hit, “Shallow.” Unsure of where the moment was going, Awbery tentatively picks up the next line of the song. And as Freshwater continues to react to her singing, she kept going eventually belting out the high section of the Academy Award-winning tune. It turns out Awbery IS a professional singer who performs at weddings, pubs, and other venues. But when the viral video took off, so did her social media following. Of course, it’s no surprise that Ellen DeGeneres would fly the blond singer to Los Angeles to celebrate the serendipitous episode.
Charlotte Awbery sings “Shallow” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (screen capture)
After belting out “Shallow” for Ellen’s audience she sat down with the talk show host who ticked off just some of the stats that followed the video including over 60 million views online, a number that Awbery was not aware of. Additionally, the song “Shallow” reentered the Top 40 on iTunes thanks to the video. And her Instagram following has grown from 4,000 to over 480,000 in just a few days. By the way, one of those new followers was Ariana Grande. “I followed her back,” Awbery quickly assured Ellen.

Awbery is disarmingly charming as she is still taking in what it means to have all this attention after being a working singer for fifteen years. With Freshwater sitting in the audience, Ellen also confirms that the video was not a ‘set-up’ as some have posited. Of course, it wouldn’t be ELLEN if there wasn’t some gift-giving involved. So, to make sure Awbery gets to her gigs all across London, the show gave her a year-long pass on the London tubes, and Shutterfly gave the songbird $10,000 British pounds. As her Instagram following has grown exponentially since the video’s release, folks are now discovering past videos by Awbery. Check out her unfiltered take on the Judy Garland classic, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” below. #gorgeous

 

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#somewhereovertherainbow🌈 #live

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New Music: Lauv ‘Modern Loneliness’

Who knew a music artist could release all of his music independently and find success to the tune of billions of streams to his name? Lauv, a shooting star in the world of pop music who has done just that, drops his latest single “Modern Loneliness,” which the artist says is “the most important song” he feels he’s ever made. The lilting ballad takes aim at the technology-driven generation that can’t seem to put their cell phones down underscoring how we experience isolation living our lives ‘alone together.’

Modern loneliness We’re never alone but always depressed, yeah Love my friends to death but I never call, I never text La di da di da, yeah You get what you give and you give what you get, so Modern loneliness We love to get high but we don’t know how to come down

The video depicts the artist laying in a field of grass pondering his loneliness. But as the song continues the build, the camera pulls back to show he’s surrounded by others experiencing similar isolation just feet away. “There is a lot of loneliness out there,” says Lauv. “We all feel it. But there is also a lot of love waiting for us and I hope this song can be a catalyst for that.” The artist has been open about his own struggles with anxiety and depression and has taken action on the issue with his Blue Boy Foundation, which supports programs that help young people feel more comfortable reaching out for help with mental health. In 2019, he launched the “My Blue Thoughts” initiative, a community-building mechanism for fans to anonymously write down or record whatever is on their mind, as a way to engage with people around the world who may be having similar experiences.

In addition to recording and releasing his music, Lauv has also found success writing for some of the biggest stars in the world while simultaneously selling out shows all over the world as a headliner. And, perhaps most amazingly, he has done all of this without releasing an album. (yet) “Modern Loneliness” will be featured on Lauv’s highly anticipated upcoming album, ~how i’m feeling~,  set for release on March 6, 2020. He kicks off his world tour in Mexico on March 21. I’m definitely a fan. I’ve previously covered Lauv’s music here and here. https://www.instagram.com/p/CITYtX5LfBJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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Maluma On Gay Rumors: Lend Me Your Girlfriend To See How Gay I Am

Maluma (image via Instagram)
During a recent Q&A session on Instagram with his 49 million followers, Colombian reggaeton recording star Maluma laughed off rumors about him possibly being gay. Translated from Spanish, Maluma’s reply to the question was: “People are stupid, aren’t they? How can they say that I am gay? If I were gay, I would have already talked about it. The one who said I’m gay, lend me his girlfriend to see how gay I am. You guys make me laugh.”

Gee, just because the Latin hottie has collaborated with out superstar Ricky Martin and ‘queen of the gays’ Madonna, does that mean he HAS to be gay? Rock on, Maluma, rock on.

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Greyson Chance Has A Moment On The Dance Floor ‘Dancing Next To Me’

Greyson Chance has a moment on the dance floor
Out singer/songwriter Greyson Chance shifts into dance-pop mode for his new track and music video, “Dancing Next To Me.” Shot in a club setting, Chance has one of those dance floor encounters where the sexual tension is undeniable. But after giving in to intimacy, Chance finds himself alone at the end of the night. Chance – who first found viral fame with his 2010 Lady Gaga cover of “Paparazzi” – candidly admits the song is based on a real-life experience. “I was growing into feeling comfortable with being vulnerable around this person and then eventually being intimate with them and thinking that there was really something truthful there and something beautiful,” Chance recently told PEOPLE. Chance thought he might have made a love connection, but ended up “having this feeling of betrayal in the morning when the sun rose and the person left.” “He wasn’t confident enough to love me,” said the 22-year-old. “I think in many ways he was afraid to take that step.” I was yours for the weekend Come sunrise, it’s time for you to dodge your feelings Call your girl to deny We know is the truth You were who you wanted to be When you were there, you were there You were dancing next to me “In many ways, whether it’s right or wrong, I hope he hears this song and hates it,” Chance says. “I hope it brings an ill feeling to him just because I felt betrayed.” The song, co-written with producer/songwriter Teddy Geiger, was the first to come out of his collaboration with Geiger because the experience was so fresh in his mind. As he shared with MTV, “I was really tired this summer of being people’s experiments.” Back in November, I covered Chance’s grungy, synth-pop bop, “Boots.” “Dancing Next To Me” is now available on all digital download sites. Check out the music video below.