Tag: James Corden

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Adele Slays The Gays With “Don’t Rain On My Parade”

Adele Don't Rain On My Parade
James Corden and Adele (screen capture)
Adele slayed the gays with her carpool karaoke appearance during the final episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden. Especially her full-throated take on the Funny Girl Act One closer, “Don’t Rain On My Parade.” Continue reading “Adele Slays The Gays With “Don’t Rain On My Parade””

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News Round-Up: November 8, 2021

Adelaide United footballer Josh Cavallo expressed concerns about playing in Qatar due to severely homophobic laws and social attitudes.

Some news items you might have missed: • The Advocate: Next year’s FIFA World Cup is set to take place in Qatar, but gay soccer player Josh Cavallo (above) is speaking out, saying he would not feel safe playing in a country where homosexuality is banned with punishments ranging from flogging and long prison terms to execution. Continue reading “News Round-Up: November 8, 2021”

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Trailer: ‘The Prom’ With Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Andrew Rannells

Meryl Streep and James Corden in ‘The Prom’ (photo: Netflix)
Netflix drops the official trailer for the upcoming screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical The Prom. The stellar cast includes Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Andrew Rannells, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Chamberlin, Mary Kay Place, Kerry Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, Jo Ellen Pellman, and Ariana DeBose.
James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, Meryl Streep in ‘The Prom’ (photo: Netflix)
Synopsis:

Dee Dee Allen (three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep) and Barry Glickman (Tony Award-winner James Corden) are New York City stage stars with a crisis on their hands: their expensive new Broadway show is a major flop that has suddenly flatlined their careers.

Meanwhile, in small-town Indiana, high school student Emma Nolan (newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman) is experiencing a very different kind of heartbreak: despite the support of the high school principal (Keegan-Michael Key), the head of the PTA (Kerry Washington) has banned her from attending the prom with her girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana DeBose).

When Dee Dee and Barry decide that Emma’s predicament is the perfect cause to help resurrect their public images, they hit the road with Angie (Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman) and Trent (Andrew Rannells), another pair of cynical actors looking for a professional lift.

But when their self-absorbed celebrity activism unexpectedly backfires, the foursome finds their own lives upended as they rally to give Emma a night where she can truly celebrate who she is.

In select theaters in December and premieres on Netflix on December 11, 2020.

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Pete Buttigieg Shares How Attending A Baseball Game Changed His Life

L-R James Corden, Pete Buttigieg (image via The Late Late Show)
One of the things to come out of this election cycle that I’ll long appreciate is the emergence of former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg onto the national stage. Over the past year and a half, Buttigieg demonstrated how a mayor of a mid-sized city can show up and go toe-to-toe with not only experienced political candidates but also the press (Fox News, I’m looking at you). Last night, Mayor Pete made an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden where he addressed the state of the election cycle (“It’s all going to come down to getting out the vote”) but also offered a positive view on the resiliency of the American people. “We have to find a way to get through this,” said Buttigieg. “This is a country that has been through pandemics, it has been through wars; at one point, half the country broke off and declared war against the other half. And this country still stands. We have got to find a way through this and I believe that starts with electing new leadership.” “Now, we’re also the generation that could blow it,” he added. “That’s part of the reason this election is so high stakes. But if we get it right in the next few years, the 2020s could go down in history as the time America stood up and turned in a better direction. And by the middle of this century could be delivering to humanity something as important as the founding of America itself. I really believe that – if we do the work, and that’s why we’re doing the work.”

And in another segment called “Late Late Show And Tell,” Corden asked Mayor Pete to share something from his home that the general public wouldn’t generally get to see. Buttigieg revealed a red baseball he received on the night of his first date with now-husband Chasten. The couple had attended a baseball game, and the souvenirs were a give-away at the game that night. Later in the date, the couple held hands for the first time. “That moment we held hands was one of the best moments of my life,” shared Buttigieg. “I keep this baseball around because they were giving them out that night. It’s just a reminder of how any given night can change the rest of your life.” At a time when so many politicians and elected officials give us much to be cynical about, I find Buttigieg continually serves up reasons to look for the good in those in public service.

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‘The Prom’ Serves Up Big Stars & Sweet Same-Sex Romance

Meryl Streep and James Corden in The Prom (image via Netflix)
Netflix has dropped the Glee-tastic first trailer for the upcoming movie musical, The Prom, starring Academy Award winners Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman as well as Tony Award winner James Corden and Andrew Rannells. The film follows Dee Dee Allen (Streep) and Barry Glickman (Corden) as New York stage actors whose latest big Broadway musical flops and the actors scramble to revive their careers. At the same time, high school student Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman), in small-town Indiana, has been banned from bringing her girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana DeBose) to prom even though she has the backing of her principal.
The cast of The Prom (image via Netflix)
When Dee Dee and Barry decide that Emma’s predicament is the perfect cause to help resurrect their public images, they hit the road with Angie (Kidman) and Trent (Rannells), another pair of cynical actors looking for a professional lift. But the quartet finds, as often happens on the silver screen, that self-absorbed celebrity activism can backfire, leaving the four thespians in chaos even as they struggle on to give Emma a night where she can truly celebrate who she is. The film’s sweet, teenage love story is balanced by big, splashy production numbers. And let’s face it – does anyone do over-the-top egocentric character roles better than La Streep?
Meryl Streep (center) in The Prom (image via Netflix)
The stage production of the musical opened in November 2018 to rave reviews winning the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical.  When the Broadway cast appeared on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade that year, the performance featured the first-ever same-sex kiss in the history of the annual event. And the show went out with a bang with two same-sex members of the production exchanging vows onstage right before closing night. The cast also includes Kerry Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, Tracey Ulmann, and Nico Greetham. Hollywood wonder-boy Ryan Murphy directs the musical created by Chad Beguelin, Bob Martin, and Matthew Sklar. The Prom arrives on Netflix and in theatres on December 11. Watch the trailer below.

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News Round-Up: August 3, 2020

Sgt. Keith Wildhaber (image via Wildhaber)
Some news items you might have missed: • St. Louis Today: Openly gay St. Louis County police lieutenant Keith Wildhaber (above), who in February settled a workplace discrimination lawsuit against the police department for $10.25 million, said Friday that he is stepping down from command of its Diversity and Inclusion unit. In a Facebook post he wrote, “The dog whispers of a gay, white guy being unable to lead Diversity and Inclusion were loud and clear. Systemic racism is alive and well.” • Cosmopolitan: James Corden, currently the host of The Late Late Show, might be in talks to replace Ellen DeGeneres on her daytime talk show. The possible shake-up comes shortly after toxic work environment claims were made against Ellen’s longtime show. • Vimeo: Snowflake, a new film that depicts the fear of a nation when a dictatorial politician is suddenly thrust into the White House, will begin streaming on Vimeo on August 4. While most of the characters in the film are gay, Snowflake shows how their other identities – age, race, and their economic status – shape their individual views. Check out the trailer below.

• The Advocate: Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who’s faced criticism for anti-transgender comments over the past year, signed a letter supporting Idaho’s law barring trans females from competing in women’s and girls’ interscholastic sports. The NCAA, which has already announced its opposition to the law, is considering potentially moving the March Madness men’s basketball tournament from Boise. • Deadline: Pose star Angelica Ross has inked a development & production deal with Pigeon, the production company behind OWN’s Iyanla: Fix My Life. The transgender actress and activist will work with Pigeon to develop and co-produce scripted and non-scripted content. • AFP Fact Check: Donald Trump went on a voter fraud Twitter rant after the Nevada legislature approved mail-in-voting for all registered voters. But AFP’s fact-checking showed actual voter fraud is minuscule to non-existent.

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James Corden Shuts Down Bill Maher On Fat-Shaming

On a recent episode of his HBO series Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher declared it is time to ‘bring back fat-shaming’ in an attempt to help fight obesity. The broad point of his comments were that Americans – while citing health insurance and healthcare costs as being a top priority for them in the upcoming 2020 election – bear some responsibility for their own health situations due to poor personal choices in diet. James Corden, host of CBS’ The Late Late Show, wasn’t having it. “If making fun of fat people made them lose weight, there’d be no fat kids in schools,” Corden said during his monologue on the late night gab-fest. “And I’d have a six-pack right now.” “Let’s be honest, fat-shaming is just bullying. And bullying just makes the problem worse,” he said. After addressing some very real aspects of fat-shaming, like triggering depression and self-destructive behavior which leads to more overeating, Corden also addressed some of the root causes of obesity, including how poverty and genetics play a role. Corden closed out his op-ed with this little nugget of wisdom for Maher: “While you’re encouraging people to think about what goes into their mouths, just think a little harder about what comes out of yours.” The segment is definitely worth your time. Hit play below.

In fairness, here’s the clip of Maher’s comments in their full context. Decide for yourself if Maher missed the mark or if Corden overreacted.

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News Round-Up: April 3, 2019

Some news items you might have missed:

• Here’s a t-shirt (modeled by InstaHunk Ramses Principe) that I can totally relate to 😉

• The governor of Utah has signed into law the state’s new, tougher hate crimes law with stricter punishments for those who commit crimes specifically due to bias. Yes – Utah!

• Even though Netflix cancelled the terrific One Day at a Time reboot, the streaming giant may be standing in the show’s way of finding a new home.

• Starting out at a bus stop as young boys, James Corden and Tony Award winner Ben Platt tell the story of a life-long friendship using 9 different sets and 12 carefully curated songs all captured in one take.

• Investigators on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team say the four page letter by Attorney General William Barr didn’t adequately portray the findings of their investigation.

• Stoning gays to death officially became the law of the land in Brunei today. Even Ellen DeGeneres has joined the boycott of hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei.

• Donald Trump’s choices for ambassadorships has been, interesting, to say the least. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates — a wealthy real estate developer with no diplomatic experience. Ambassador to Morocco? A well-heeled car dealer. For Iceland? While well-traveled, the nominee had never even been to the Nordic country.

• The brilliant satirist, Randy Rainbow, offers his parody of the Disney classic, “Cruella DeVille,” with a nod to our current clueless Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

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Neil Patrick Harris & James Corden Try Their Hand At Singing Telegrams

James Corden and Neil Patrick Harris

 The Late Late Show host, James Corden, and Tony Award winner Neil Patrick Harris (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) share their adventures as singing telegram artists in a new skit for Corden’s late night talk show.

In the first of three performances, the dashing duo (adorned in red velvet tuxedoes) drop by a boxing gym to serenade a couple for their 19th wedding anniversary to the tune of Olivia Newton-John’s classic, “Physical.”

However, the tune got a change up for the moment resulting in lyrics like, “Anniversary, versary, it’s your anniversary, 19th anniversary!” while hunky boxers looked on.

Next up the musical men hit up a nail salon to sing in honor of a hot wax technician’s birthday via Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” albeit with new words:

Blue jean baby, LA lady, she works at the salon,
She’s given millions of good Brazilians, all those tiny hairs are gone

Unfortunately, there is a slight snag as the boys seem to have gotten their intel wrong and it’s not the woman’s birthday. #SadTromboneSound

And finally, there’s a performance to celebrate the adoption of a cat. There’s a small squabble about wearing cat ears, but you know how that turns out.

Launching into an altered version of “Memory” from the Broadway hit CATS, the twosome do their best with pawing movements, tail flicks and more, although the day’s tension seem to be wearing on the duo.

As he exits, Corden is asked to adopt a cat of his own but drops a truth bomb, “I hate cats.”

And the boys call it a day.

Watch below.

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Ariana Grande & James Corden Serve Up ‘Titanic’ Mini-Musical

Ariana Grande & James Corden

 Ariana Grande dropped by The Late Late Show with James Corden earlier this week to promote her new album, Sweetener, set to drop August 17.

But the highlight of the appearance was Grande and Corden bringing the story of Titanic to life in a short mini-musical utilizing 13 songs and 9 different sets in one non-stop take.

Using songs from artists like Styx (“Come Sail Away”), Hall & Oates (“Rich Girl”), Lady Gaga (“Just Dance”), Vanilla Ice (“Ice Ice Baby”) and NSYNC (“Bye Bye Bye”), the duo manages to tell the story of the 1997 blockbuster movie in just five minutes.

And, of course, the only way to close out the mega-mix was for Grande to deliver a soaring Celine Dion tribute with “My Heart Will Go On.”

The LGBTQ ally also made an appearance on Corden’s Carpool Karaoke on Wednesday where she sang some of her hits, shared that the theme of her second birthday party was the movie Jaws, gave Corden some coaching on riffing, and pulled out some of her fantastic Celine Dion impersonation with a bit of “All Coming Back To Me Now.”

Dang, this girl is fierce. Watch the fun below and check out her new album here on iTunes.