Michael Sam Goes Backstage On Broadway At “Kinky Boots”

Tony Award winner Billy Porter shared this pic with out NFL-er Michael Sam after Sam took in the award winning musical Kinky Boots this past Sunday.

A photo posted by Billy Porter (@theebillyporter) on Nov 11, 2014 at 7:02pm PST

And another shot of the talented two-some via Bruce Glikas:

Tony Award winner Billy Porter with out NFL-er Michael Sam

News Round-up: October 16, 2014

Billy Porter authors new off-Broadway play to strong reviews

Some stories you may have missed:

• Tony Award winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots) debuts first play off-Broadway to strong reviews

• Shia LaBeouf says he was arrested at Broadway’s Cabaret because he couldn’t stop himself from grabbing star Alan Cumming’s ass saying “He’s the sexiest man I’ve ever seen”

• The Vatican calls for the Catholic Church to welcome and accept gays

• Stephen Sondheim says he’s working on a new musical based on two surrealist films by late Spanish director Luis Buñuel

• Out pro soccer player Robbie Rogers get sitcom based on his life green-lit by ABC

• HBO announced plans to allow streaming video subscriptions to the network in 2015 via internet without cable or satellite service

• New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner released the findings of it’s report concluding Joan Rivers died due to brain damage from to lack of oxygen.

• After going public with his Alzheimer’s diagnosis a few years ago, Glen Campbell has released his last single, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You”

Billy Porter, Jonathan Groff, Zachary Quinto and Jesse Tyler Ferguson celebrate Marvin Hamlisch

KINKY BOOTS Tony Award winner Billy Porter shared shots of himself and fellow Broadway headliners Zachary Quinto, Jonathan Groff, Jessie Tyler Ferguson and more at last night’s celebration of Marvin Hamlisch and the 40th anniversary of the birth of A CHORUS LINE.

The event was held at The Public Theatre in New York City.

Billy Porter and Karen Ziemba to host Creative Arts portion of 2014 Tony Awards

A pair of past Tony Award®-winners will take the stage on Broadway’s biggest night to hand out American Theatre Wing Tony Awards in more than a dozen Creative Arts Award categories.

Billy Porter and Karen Ziemba will preside over the Creative Arts Awards portion of the 2014 Tony Awards ceremony on June 8, which will take place before the CBS telecast begins, as well as during the commercial breaks.

TonyAwards.com will offer exclusive on-demand video clips of the Creative Arts portions of the Tony Awards ceremony.

In addition, Porter and Ziemba will hand out the 2014 Tony Awards in various non-competitive categories, including the Regional Theatre Award (NYC’s Signature Theatre), the Isabelle Stevenson Award (Rosie O’Donnell), and the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (Jane Greenwood).

It’s just a little cool that I’ve worked with both in the theatre.

Karen was a neighbor of mine for years on the Upper West Side and we used to see each other often.  I also did CHICAGO on Broadway with Karen when she was starring as “Roxie.”

Billy, as regular readers know, is a friend of mine for over 20 years.  Two years ago I had the pleasure of choreographing SWEET CHARITY at the Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City with Billy killing it each night as “Big Daddy” with the number “Rhythm of Life.”

It will be uber-cool to watch these two before and during the Tonys.  Make sure you head to TonyAwards.com tomorrow night for all the extra fun.

KINKY BOOTS star Billy Porter to co-host Tony Awards pre-telecast

Kinky Boots star (and last year’s Tony Award winner for Best Actor in a Musical) Billy Porter will co-host the Tony Awards pre-telecast show.

Porter’s other Broadway credits include Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Moe, Grease, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and Dreamgirls.

Viewers will be able to watch the pre-show online at http://www.tonyawards.com/index.html  The live webcast begins at 6pm EST.

Tony Award-winner Billy Porter joins #MyLoveIsEqual campaign

Billy Porter, star of Kinky Boots on Broadway, released a video today that shows his support for the #MyLoveisEqual campaign and the music video for “Quite Like This” by DJ/Producer Ryan Skyy.

Marriage Equality is an issue that Billy is passionate about, and when he found out that all proceeds from the sale of “Quite Like This” are being donated to MarriageEquality.org, he naturally jumped on-board.

For more information on #MyLoveisEqual, visit http://www.myloveisequal.com

You can watch Billy’s message about #MyLoveIsEqual below:

And here’s Ryan Skyy’s music video for “Quite Like This” (available on iTunes now) created from clips of same-sex marriage proposals which have all gone viral on the internet:

For more information on Ryan Skyy, visit http://www.ryanskyy.com.

Behind the scenes with Billy Porter recording “Billy’s Back On Broadway”

Tony Award-winner Billy Porter

Via press release:

It’s been almost a decade since the Pittsburgh-born Billy Porter released a solo album, and since then much has changed for the award-winning artist, who grew up singing in the Pentecostal church. Perhaps best known for his Tony® Award-winning role as ‘Lola’ in the hit Broadway musical Kinky Boots, Porter’s musical background is based in gospel, soul and R&B.

On April 15, 2014, Porter releases his debut on Concord Records, Billy’s Back on Broadway.

Featuring ten classics made famous on the Great White Way that focus on inspiration, empowerment and hope, the album’s title is a nod to Sammy Davis, Jr.’s recording Sammy’s Back on Broadway.

Cyndi Lauper, the Grammy®, Emmy® & Tony® Award-winning rock icon who penned the score for Kinky Boots, makes a special guest appearance on Billy’s Back on Broadway, dueting with Porter on “Happy Days/Get Happy,” a tune made famous by Streisand and Judy Garland.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Cyndi is one of the godmothers of individuality,” Porter explains. “She forged a path for so many of us that didn’t fit into the status quo. I learned so much and have felt so inspired by her journey as an artist and human being before I even knew her. She’s a blessing and a gift, and I’m so thrilled she said ‘yes’ when I asked her to sing on this album.”

Check out the behind-the-scenes footage and interviews below.  

Cyndi Lauper