Happy birthday to one of my favorite talents in the world, Whoopi Goldberg, who celebrates her 68th trip around the sun today. Continue reading “Happy Birthday Whoopi Goldberg!”
Happy Birthday Whoopi Goldberg!
Celebrating My Birthday & The Anniversary Of My Best Friendship
Carlye at Disney World; both of us at the opening night of ‘Hello, Dolly!’ on Broadway
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| Carlye and I at a holiday party some year in NYC |
Happy 99th Birthday Judy Garland
The legendary Judy Garland (screen capture)
Happy 99th Birthday Betty White!
L-R Chippendales dancer Jace Crispin, Betty White (screen capture)
(photo courtesy of The Ellen DeGeneres Show)
Check out my previous celebrations of the wondrous White here. White’s TV co-stars Ed Asner (Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland) tweeted their birthday greetings to White.
I still get warm when I see this look. Happy 99 baby. You are a testament to living life on your own terms. Sending you a great big socially distanced kiss. I love you @BettyMWhite pic.twitter.com/DWM9tTthIm
— Ed Asner (@TheOnlyEdAsner) January 17, 2021
Betty White bloopers are the best bloopers 🥰 #HappyBirthdayBettyWhite https://t.co/jzm2g1Ydmc
— Valerie Bertinelli (@Wolfiesmom) January 17, 2021
Adam Rippon Skates On A ‘River’ Of Ice For His 30th Birthday
Out Olympic bronze medalist Adam Rippon celebrates 30 trips around the sun today! For his birthday, the self-appointed ‘America’s sweetheart’ took to the ice for a skate to Joni Mitchell’s “River,” covered by Tony Award winner Ben Platt in his Netflix series, The Politician. In sharing the video clip, Rippon wrote on Facebook:
“Today is my 30th birthday. I couldn’t be more grateful for everything and everyone in my life.
“Thank you for always sending love and positive energy my way. I hope I’m always able to do the same for you.
“I wanted to do something fun for myself so I asked one of my old skating choreographers, Cindy Stuart, to put this together with me. She is amazing. And Ben Platt is also amazing (duh) and when I heard him do a cover of this song I knew I had to skate to it. A huge thank you to On Ice Perspectives for putting it all together.”
Happy birthday, Adam!
I had the utterly charming experience of interviewing Rippon for the release of his memoir, Beautiful on the Outside. Hit the play button below to take a listen:
Billy Porter Makes An Entrance (Or Three) On ‘The Late Late Show’
To say that Emmy Award nominee Billy Porter ‘dropped by’ The Late Late Show with James Corden on Wednesday could be one of the great understatements of the week. After his fellow guest, Kirsten Dunst, entered through the show’s curtains looking lovely as ever and took a seat on the interview couch, Corden introduced the POSE star. Enter Hurricane Billy. Adorned in a gold lamé cape (which became wings a la his Met gala fashion statement), Porter made his way down the stairs towards the stage only to u-turn and head back behind the curtains. Sporting a new rainbow robe and a bouquet of roses, Porter re-emerged to make his way through the audience again. And he’s not done yet! Dropping the robe to reveal a purple, glitter jumpsuit, Porter runs to the band to shake a tambourine like a pro. He’s then carried on a platform, in Cleopatra-style, to the stage by two shirtless muscle hunks. The crowd goes wild, but Corden – feigning outrage that time has been taken from Ms. Dunst – dismisses Porter from the stage. “Fine, James, fine!” says Porter as he exits. But wait – there’s more! As Corden attempts to interview Dunst, music swirls, curtains open and Porter launches into a spectacular disco-tastic performance of Gloria Gaynor’s iconic “I Will Survive” complete with hunky dancers and roller-skaters. Watch Billy Porter’s lesson in how to make an entrance below.
In a later segment, Porter is back on the couch as Corden asks the Tony Award winner about turning 50 this Saturday, just a day before he could make history as the first openly gay black man to win an Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama.’ “I feel great,” says Porter. “I have to say, everything that people say about getting older, that it gets better – is the truth.” “I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been, I’m experiencing a type of success that I didn’t even know how to dream of,” he added. “It’s really, really remarkable.” “And – the best part about it is – once you get to a certain age you have zero f*cks to give about anything or anybody! Period.” “It’s the greatest feeling in the world – the shackles are off,” he declared. “Say what you want – I’m gonna do me, and I’m gonna do it ’til I’m dead!”
Make sure to tune in to the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night, September 22, at 8 pm ET on Fox.
Happy 75th Birthday Diana Ross!
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| Diana Ross (image via Facebook) |
In honor of diva Diana Ross’s 75th birthday, let’s take a listen to some of her biggest and best hits through the years, including the totally-gay coming out anthem, “I’m Coming Out.”
Penned by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, the duo actually admitted to Billboard they lied to the diva when she asked if the song was a gay anthem.
There’s a new me coming out
And I just had to live
And I want to give
I’m completely positive
Ok, in all honesty this was going to be one song at the end of today’s News Round-Up, but I couldn’t stop myself LOL… So many great, great songs, I just kept adding and adding.
Happy birthday, Diana!
Happy Birthday Vanessa Williams!
Bestest birthday wishes to my “fabulous, gorgeous, always makes me comfortable, always makes me laugh” friend Vanessa Williams who celebrates her birthday today.
I’ve known Vanessa since we attended Syracuse University together many moons ago.
Obviously V has gone on to major, major accomplishments over the years in film, TV, Broadway and the recording studio. So many to name, I won’t try.
But my favorite thing about Vanessa over the years is she has never changed the way she treats me as her old friend.
We may not see each other for a while, but she’s always the same person I knew back in school.
I’ve documented a few of our meet-ups over the years here, here, and here.
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| Me with Vanessa Williams, husband Jim Skrip and my hubby Michael Caprio at pre-gala reception hosted by Fendi (all photos by Denise Truscello) |
In 2017, I was asked to introduce Vanessa at Nevada Ballet Theatre’s annual gala as they honored her as “Woman of the Year.”
In my introduction, I shared the story behind the pic below when I had just finished cancer treatment in 2009.
Clearly, I didn’t look like myself after chemo, and I was very self-conscious.
But seeing Vanessa backstage after her concert here in Las Vegas that year, she didn’t blink. Once she knew I was good, she ignored the way I looked and made me feel as comfortable as always.
After commenting on my hairlessness – “You look fab with your bald head!” – she immediately asked, “Do you want to hang backstage and have Chardonnay and friend chicken?”
As I told the audience at the Nevada Ballet Theatre event, that pretty much summed up Vanessa:
Like Chardonnay, she’s bright, light and intoxicating.
And like friend chicken, she is truly “Soul Food.”
Vanessa rocks. And I adore her.
Happy, happy birthday, doll!
Jimmy Kimmel Gets Aunt Chippy & The Chippendales In Bedroom Birthday Surprise
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| Aunt Chippy and the Chippendales |
Jimmy Kimmel gets a lot of well wishes on his birthday from his family and friends, but the first one every year is a call from his Aunt Chippy at the crack of dawn.
It’s gotten to the point where Jimmy turns his phone off the night before his birthday so she doesn’t wake him up.
So this year, with some help from Jimmy’s wife Molly and his brother Jonathan, Aunt Chippy flew in from Las Vegas to wake him up in the middle of the night when he was sound asleep.
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| Jimmy Kimmel is cute when he wakes up |
Oh, and she brought a few friends from the world-famous Chippendales to help out, cause who doesn’t want to wake up surrounded by those hunks?
Watch below.
Madonna Turns 60 Today
Happy 60th birthday, Madonna!
From her 1984 MTV Awards performance of “Like A Virgin,” to the controversial “Like A Prayer,” the now iconic “Vogue,” the empowering “Express Yourself” and envelope pushing (at the time) “Justify My Love,” Madonna has always and continues to hold our attention.
While not a “power” vocalist, her voice does have the power to connect with us; and she’s a skilled lyricist and songwriter.
Plus, no one understands the power of style and reinvention better than Madge.
It bears mentioning that Madonna has been a potent and vocal ally for the LGBT community from the start – speaking out for equality and the AIDS crisis before it was in “vogue” to do so (you saw what I did there, right?).
I picked some of my favorite Madonna music videos below. Some are about the songs; some I enjoy for the visuals; and some for the change in direction they represent for her career.
Power on, Madonna. You still have our attention.