March 11, 1967– John Barrowman is quite the underachiever: actor, dancer, singer; working on stage, in films, television, and with the extra duty of being professionally good-looking. He even danced on ice. He lives and works both in the UK and the USA.

Barrowman is probably most famous for best known for playing time-traveling Captain Jack Harkness in the 2005 reboot of Doctor Who (1989-2015) produced by Queer As Folk creator Russell T. Davies. Barrowman then went on to star in a Doctor Who spinoff, Torchwood (2006-2011).

Barrowman was born in Glasgow, Scotland where he spent the first eight years of his life. In 1976, when he was eight years old, his family relocated to Illinois by the company his father was working for.

While he was in high school, Barrowman appeared in his school’s musical productions. He majored in Theatre at United States International University in San Diego.

Barrowman made quite a splash in London with his professional debut in a West End production of Cole Porter‘s Anything Goes (1989), not as Reno Sweeny, but playing the ingénue Billy Crocker, a role he would play 14 years later in Trevor Nunn‘s acclaimed 2003 West End revival. Always in demand, he has also appeared in West End productions of Miss Saigon, Beauty And The Beast, Hair, Grease!, The Phantom Of The Opera, and La Cage Aux Folles. Barrowman played Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard in the West End and, briefly, on Broadway. His only other Broadway role was in the Stephen Sondheim revue Putting It Together (1999–2000) opposite Carol Burnett. In 2002, Barrowman played Bobby in Sondheim’s Company at the Kennedy Center.

On film, Barrowman sang a duet with Kevin Kline in that dreadful Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely (2004), and sang the big Springtime For Hitler number in the film version of the stage musical version of the original film of of Mel Brooks’ The Producers (2005).

Barrowman had been considered for the title role of Will on the television series Will & Grace (1998-2006), but the network brass felt he was “too straight” and the role went to Eric McCormack instead, who is of course, straight.

Barrowman met British architect Scott Gill, when he was appearing in a stage production of Rope at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 1991.

Barrowman claims it was love at first sight:

“I was doing the play in Chichester and Scott was brought down to see the play by a mutual friend of ours. He told Scott: ‘You’ve gotta see this guy in the play, he’s naked for the first seven minutes!’ So Scott certainly knew what he was getting!”

The couple became domestic partners in the UK in 2006, and they were married in Palm Springs, just a week following the United States Supreme Court’s decision to deny an appeal to overturning California Proposition 8.

Barrowman:

“It feels great and I think more gay men and gay women should go ahead and do it as long as they’re serious about it. It’s not really recognition, but it’s important for people to see the normality of the entire situation, and it forces people who don’t agree with gay men and women… to have to accept us. We deserve the rights like everybody else. It’s been a long wait, but we legitimized our relationship to each other a long time ago when we signed our mortgages together, and this is just something that forces people who don’t want to recognize it that they have to.”

Barrowman has written 2 volumes of juicy memoirs: Anything Goes (2008) and I Am What I Am (2009). He has 8 solo albums and can be heard on the original cast recordings for 11 musicals.

Barrowman and Gill are outspoken advocates for Gay Rights and progressive politics. They have houses in London, Cardiff, Wales; and Palm Springs that they share with their three cocker spaniels. They couldn’t possibly be more adorable.

The post #BornThisDay: Actor/Singer, John Barrowman appeared first on The WOW Report.

We’ve got a special bonus clip from Untucked! The queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 8 are sequestered from each other and made to sit alone before entering the work on the first episode!

New episodes of Untucked every Tuesday morning on WOWPresents!

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The Trump Footlong

Trump is holding campaign rally today at the UIC Pavillion and a massive protest is planned for across the street. The appropriately monikered named spokesperson for Weiner’s, Yolanda Smile, a shift supervisor, said,

“We saw he’s coming to UIC, and we figured that since [Marco] Rubio said that about him, why not run a special while he’s here It’s just for fun, absolutely not any kind of political statement.“

The special was announced on The Wiener’s Circle’s Facebook page Thursday afternoon.

“We’ve got the best weekend deals. The other guys, they think they make deals. But we make DEALS. Really spectacular.“

Does he measure up as a candidate? It is HARD to tell! (Wink.) But The Wiener’s Circle isn’t the only bizness rolling out the welcome mat for the Trumpster, a brewery called 5 Rabbit announced this week another batch of its Chinga Tu Pelo (Mexican slang for “fuck your hair”) in advance of Trump’s rally.

You can’t say that the Trump brand doesn’t sell things, kids.

(Photos, Mina Bloom; via DNAinfo; T/Y Tad)

The post Chicago Stand “The Weiner’s Circle” Selling Three-Inch Long Hot Dogs In Trump’s Honor appeared first on The WOW Report.

RuPaul’s DragCon is coming May 7th and 8th! And with more than 40 amazing panels and dozens of meet-and-greets, it’s going to be THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE! Do you have your tickets yet?

Every day between now and then, we’re going to be highlighting the wowlebrities that will be in attendance! Today, we honor the LEGENDARY Chad Michaels!

Chad Michaels’ career as one of the world’s premiere Cher Impersonators now spans two decades of acclaim! Chad has been granted the opportunity to collaborate with and entertain for Industry favorites such as David Foster, Bruce Roberts, Elton John, Christina Aguilera, Cyndi Lauper, Gene Simmons, RuPaul, and even the Diva Herself, Cher. For Chad Michaels, the “Beat Goes On”! After appearing on the fourth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Chad returned for another round of competition on RuPaul’s All Stars Drag Race and took home the crown.

Chad’s career highlights in the art of Celebrity Impersonation include engagements with Norbert Aleman’s Las Vegas and London productions of “An Evening at La Cage”, Jimmy Emmerson’s South American production of “La Cage Follies”, and Dan Gore’s ICONS productions in California. Chad is a favorite of booking and talent agents alike and has been featured on such television productions as “The Cher E! True Hollywood Story”, “The Cher A&E Biography”, MAD TV, Women’s Murder Club, Kath & Kim, and “The Comedy Central Gene Simmons Celebrity Roast”, and E! Talk Soup to mention a few.

Follow Chad on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook

And check her out with Morgan McMichaels on “Besties for Cash”

… “Transformations”…

… and “RuPaul Drives”

The post RuPaul’s DragCon 2016: Meet Chad Michaels! appeared first on The WOW Report.

Sorry, Bunny. Easter is cancelled.

What would Jesus do? Well, you can be pretty sure he wouldn’t cancel Easter! But Reverend Bud Locke sure did after he accidentally sent an invitation to a church that welcomes LGBT people. Yes this year, Reverend Locke accidentally allowed an invitation to go out to Valley Ministries, a small church with LGBT members. When he realized what he’d done, he emailed Valley Ministries’ Reverend Terry Miller — from a city email address, since Locke also works for the police department — to disinvite them.

This didn’t happen in some remote podunk, southern town –this is in Stockton, right outside of San Francisco. After word got around about Locke’s bigotry, first re-invited them, THEN decided to cancel the whole thing because it was getting “too much publicity.” He says that he HAD to cancel the ceremonies because all the attention they were getting. Yeah, OK.

Now, Easter is cancelled – thanks to the gays! (via Queerty)

The post #OhNoBunny!: Church Cancels Easter Rather Than Celebrate with Gays appeared first on The WOW Report.

According to a few reports, Mariah Carey is going to begin filming a docu-series that will air on E! sometime in the near future (a premiere date has not been announced). My initial reaction to the news that my Queen, the music icon, and Elusive Chanteuse herself was venturing into the world of reality TV was basically this:

That is, until I realized the comedy gold that has been brought to all of our lives by her previous appearances on TV. For example, the American Idol stint that was a bit awkward to watch (only because I would rather imagine Mariah never leaving her castle except for when she decides to have her minions put her in a ball gown and get wheeled onto her Las Vegas stage) but gave rise to some of the greatest Mariah reaction GIFs in existence, such as…

And then these unforgettable *moments* from her appearances on HSN:

…And her legendary appearance on MTV Cribs:

RUMORS, PLEASE BE TRUE.

The post Here’s A Couple Reasons We Hope the Mariah Carey Reality TV Rumors Are True appeared first on The WOW Report.

I’ve been a fan of ’70s sex god Peter Berlin since I first discovered his erotic post cards at age 12, and hid them in my comic books so my parents wouldn’t find them. He was the very embodiment of disco-era gay culture, with his brazen, in-your-face sexuality, deliciously tight pants, and that instantly identifiable Prince Valient hairdo. His compulsive self-portraiture and the gay cult sex films that chronicled his relentless cruising, makes him the original King of the Selfies. He’s one of the interview subjects in the upcoming HBO/World of Wonder documentary Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (premiering April 4), and I had a chance to talk to him the other day about life in the ’70s, how he BECAME Peter Berlin, and what his life is like now.

JSJ: Congratulations on your recent gallery exhibit in NYC. How did it come about? What was the reaction to it (in the press and with the attendees?)
PB: I was introduced to Brian Clamp from ClampArt Gallery in NY by Arthur Tress, a well known photographer and friend. Brian approached me to do an exhibition of my Vintage Photographs. We had a great show, very well received and we sold quite a few photographs.

Will there be a coffee table book?
We are in discussions with a book publisher for a book, but nothing is definite. As of now, there is only a paper back book published by Janssen in 1990 (out of print). And there is a very limited printing of 2 self published photobooks, but they are only available by special order.

Where did the name Peter Berlin come from? How did you create and perfect the persona of Peter Berlin?
There you would need about 20 pages to answer this question… but I think that Jim Tushinski’s Documentary gives a good overview of my life and career. That Man Peter Berlin… now available streaming on Fandor. In short, my real name Armin, Baron Hagen Von Hoyningen-Huene is too long and difficult for the marquis so I came up with a very simple name. PETER BERLIN.

Let’s talk about the image though. It was the perfect look for the times, and so perfectly actualized. How did you arrive at it? Did you have any inspirations?
I think it was very organic. I never had anyone I wanted to emulate, nobody to look up to but myself. My ‘look’s were coming out of the desire to accentuate my sexuality. I made my clothes. I had to make them myself, I didn’t have anybody to make them for me. It was necessary. Everyone has a body and everything should look good from the head to the toes and that includes the crotch and  ass and crotch – they are the centerpiece of the body. I felt in in those days they were neglected by the average public. I have a dick why hide it? I had the clothes to look the best i could. I had a very definite way I wanted to look so I became my own designer, my own hairdresser, my own art director, my own photographer.

You were an enormous gay icon in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and into the ‘90s. Your pictures are instantly recognizable and encapsulate a period in gay culture that no longer exists. Do you look back on it with nostalgia? When did you realize it was over?
WHAT? IS IT OVER?

HA! What I guess I mean is that the AIDS epidemic in the ’80s sort of put an end to the hedonism of the ’70s. Was there a point when you looked around and noticed that that way of life was ending?
No. All my friends died. In that sense the party was over. At some point I realized, though, I should have a good time and I shouldn’t sit there and mourn my dead friends. I blocked that all out and usually there were drugs to help that. The party stopped when I couldn’t do drugs because my body wouldn’t let me, because of my age. I know some people can party ’til the end of their days. Good for them. Unfortunately, not me.

Do you remember the moment you first realized you were famous? The first “fan” reactions?
The attention I got was before I was famous, and I have a very modest degree of fame… I always say I am “sort of famous.” I don’t understand the concept of being a fan. When I see halls and stadiums full of people adoring one singer or one actor, you know, it’s strange to me.

You lived in New York, San Francisco, and Fire Island in the ‘70s. How did they differ? Which city was the most fun? Where did you have your greatest conquests?
I had a good time wherever I went. My feeling of a ‘good time ‘was the same in every place I went. The ’70s were an amazing time in all these places.

You talk about your friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe in the documentary. Who were some of your other contemporaries? Who else from that period did you hang out with?
I only “hung out” with a few friends and family, but otherwise I was not a fan of “hanging out.” I met many famous people but was more interested in going out and cruising the streets rather than “hanging out” with them.

You spoke about the serious business of sex back in the ‘70s — how you went out alone, to be seen, how you didn’t talk to friends when you ran into them. Could you tell me a little more about how you approached hooking up in those days?
I was running around like a dog in heat, like thousands of other gay men during the 70’s. I dressed in my hand made outfits and attracted people to meet to hook up. It was that simple.

Tell me about your life today? Do you still photograph? Are you recognized often? Do you go out or are you a homebody?
My life today would be of little interest to anyone. Mostly any photographs I take now, I point the camera outward not towards myself, capturing moment on my daily walk of the homeless, nature, and very mundane things around me. Im not recognized often, and spend alot of time at home.

My favorite thing is sitting and thinking. I think a lot. Try to make sense of my world. It’s weird times, man. I’m easily bored by people. I don’t make new friends, it’s a boring life. All my good friends are gone.

“Peter Berlin” is long gone.

He’s not in my mind!
Yeah. I say to myself: Peter don’t put yourself down. It seems that image I created, it sticks in people’s minds. It gives people a good feeling.

It’s a good image. It’s a peaceful image. Strong image. It’s a beautiful image and it’s an EROTIC image, don’t forget that. That was the whole idea of Peter Berlin. I didn’t want to have my mother say “Oh this is a very nice image!” And that’s what I achieved!

For me, youth was something very  specific and beautiful and just something I lived through and just enjoyed. And now I’m looking back and I images, yes people still know them, but people ask now Peter Berlin, is he dead or is he still alive? And I’m sitting there thinking about what crescendo I could put and the end of my life?

What do you think that crescendo is?
The wish or vision I would have would be to get my voice heard or seen, that means I would love to make a big film. I made two stupid movies  in the ’70s…

No, no, no, they weren’t stupid AT ALL!
They were nothing to write home about. I did them I’m not ashamed of them. But I’m definitely not proud of them.

But, Peter, it’s a matter of perspective. When I saw them at age 16, they changed my world. They opened up so many windows in my mind. They were very important to my sexual awakening.
I realize that some people look at me like I did something, helped people find strength in their homosexuality. That wasn’t my purpose. I just wanted to look good and take photos. I just wish I’d made a film I was proud of. Still hoping. My crescendo.

What a book or a memoir? 
Unfortunately I’m not a writer. When I talk, people say: You should write a book. I do have a unique story. I’d love to have a small budget for a film to tell my story. To be the one who creates it with my vision.

Well, I hope that comes to pass. Thank you for your time, I had a nice time talking to you. I’ll introduce myself to you at the Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures premiere next week and we can talk some more!
Thank you, goodbye.

The post #MapplethorpeDoc: Read JSJ’s Interview with Gay Icon Peter Berlin appeared first on The WOW Report.

Why’d Blake have to go and make Gwen like him?! She’s so mad at Gavin ‘cuz now he’s got her missing WHO?! The Queen of Pout decided to flip a rainy Friday around and gift us with the third single off her highly anticipated solo album ‘This Is What The Truth Feels Like’ and yes, we are obsessed (duh).

LISTEN below and then we’ll discuss:

Addictive, right?! But wait…who is she singing about?

Mr. Rossdale?

Or Mr. Shelton?

Secretly, I wish it was about Andre 3000:

Gwen said: “The record is happening in real time,” Stefani told EW last month. “I’ve never had a record that’s been about happiness, so that feels really good and different. And I’ve never had records come out while it’s going on.” Lyrics like “Put me out of my misery/ hurry up come see me” and “You’re like drugs to me/ I’m so into you totally” echo the sentiment.

Whoever she’s swan singing too, we can’t get enough of it. Look for the album March 18th (SO soon!) and be sure to load this song into your iTunes iShuffle immediately.

This post is approved by Gwen’s partner in crime Eve:

The post Who Is Gwen Stefani Singing About In Her New Single “Misery?” appeared first on The WOW Report.

She has her mother’s big, brown, velvety cow eyes, those same spidery eyelashes, and eyebrows like two caterpillars crawling across her face. In short, Lourdes Leon is a KNOCK-OUT. And with this washed-out pearly purple hair in these new Stella McCartney ads, it’s easily the most best she’s ever looked.

It’s the first fashion campaign for the 19-year-old who continues to study in University of Michigan – “so this is just a side project for now.” She said she wanted to join the campaign because of its message of “female unity” and “body positivity.”

“I go through this struggle myself, [where] women’s bodies have been made so public that everyone feels like they need to comment” says Leon.

Check out the pics below.

Part 1/2 // “Together as one ­ these strong women are a force to be reckoned with.” – Stella McCartney Introducing the POP by Stella McCartney fragrance campaign featuring four creative talents: musician Grimes (@actuallyGrimes) and performing artist Lola Leon together with actress and campaigner Amandla Stenberg and animal activist Kenya Kinski-Jones. Shot by @_Glen_Luchford. POP will be available worldwide at #StellaMcCartney.com and select Stella stores from March 24th, in @Sephora in the US from March 18th and in select retailers globally by July. #POPNOW

A photo posted by Stella McCartney (@stellamccartney) on Mar 11, 2016 at 6:39am PST

So happy to have Lola on the POP team! Lola, who I’ve known her entire life, is at the beginning of her career as a performing artist. She’s an independent, inspirational and free-spirited young woman. Despite being born in the spotlight, she has kept her feet firmly on the ground! X Stella #POPNOW #LolaLeon

A photo posted by Stella McCartney (@stellamccartney) on Mar 11, 2016 at 2:18am PST

The post Lourdes Leon Stars in New Stella McCartney Campaign – and Looks AMAAAAAAAAZING appeared first on The WOW Report.

This month, the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will jointly show the work of Robert Mapplethorpe in a landmark retrospective exhibition at both museums (kind of a big deal). The simultaneous exhibitions feature work drawn from the joint Getty/LACMA acquisition of art and archives made in 2011 from the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, and include both his most iconic images and lesser-known photographs.

Curators for the exhibition are Paul Martineau, associate curator in the Getty Museum’s Department of Photographs, and Britt Salvesen, curator of the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department and the Prints and Drawings Department at LACMA. The two complementary presentations are designed to highlight different aspects of the artist’s complex oeuvre.

The exhibition reexamines the arc of Mapplethorpe’s photographic work from its beginnings in the early 1970s to the culture wars of the 1990s, and features his most iconic images of portraits, still lifes, and figure studies alongside less-known photographs. It also explores his fascinating early drawings, collages, sculptures, and Polaroid photography; working materials from his archive; rare color photographs; and seldom-seen video works.

Brit Salvesen explains the difference between the two exhibits:

“LACMA’s presentation focuses on Mapplethorpe’s working methods, sources, and creative processes—the experimental and performative aspects of his work—while the J. Paul Getty Museum highlights the artist’s disciplined studio practice, figure studies, and legacy.”

The exhibits will be on view March 15–July 31, 2016, at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center, and March 20–July 31, 2016, at LACMA.

Also in the Getty’s Center for Photographs during the Mapplethorpe exhibition will be “The Thrill of the Chase: The Wagstaff Collection of Photographs,” on view March 15–July 31, 2016.

Says LACMA:

LACMA’s presentation (March 20–July 31, 2016) highlights the artist’s relationship to New York’s sexual and artistic undergrounds, as well as his experimentation with a variety of media. Additionally, a focused installation of work by other artists drawn from LACMA’s permanent collection helps place Mapplethorpe in conversation with the art of the 1980s. The companion exhibition at the Getty (March 20–July 31, 2016) explores Mapplethorpe’s disciplined studio practice and his fascination with classical form and the fine photographic print.

Says the Getty:

Robert Mapplethorpe is among the most influential visual artists of the late twentieth century. This major retrospective exhibition reexamines the arc of his photographic work from its humble beginnings in the early 1970s to the culture wars of the 1990s. Featuring portraits, nudes, still lifes, and the controversial X Portfolio, the exhibition explores Mapplethorpe’s studio practice and the creation of his foundation, which has shepherded his legacy into the 21st century.

Drawn from the landmark acquisition from the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, two complementary presentations, one at the J. Paul Getty Museum and another at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, highlight different aspects of the artist’s complex oeuvre.

All of this, of course, is to wind you up for the big HBO/World of Wonder premiere of Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures on April 4th. Set your DVRs now, you aren’t going to want to miss THIS ONE.

The post Attention Angelenos: The Historic Joint Mapplethorpe Exhibits at LACMA and the Getty Happens NEXT WEEK appeared first on The WOW Report.

Sebastian Dungan
Aaron Belkin
Aaron Eckhart
Al Jarreau
Barbara Feldon
Courtney B. Vance
Danny Jones
Darryl Strawberry
Edward Albee
Elly Jackson
James Taylor
Lesley Manville
Liza Minnelli
Marlon Jackson
Mitt Romney
Pete Doherty
Ron Jeremy

The post March 12: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch! appeared first on The WOW Report.

March 12, 1946– Liza Mae Minnelli Allen Haley Gero Gest:

“Momma always taught me: ‘Be the best version of yourself. Don’t be the second best version of somebody else.’ I’ve always stuck to that. I performed with her at the Palladium and it was tough to keep up although I never tried to imitate her. She’d be pleased I’ve made a name for myself.”

They come in all stripes, shapes and shades, so I am rather certain that there must be some gay folks that do not care for her. I mean, there are unbelievably, Gay Republicans after all,  but for me, I wouldn’t be a proper gay guy having my gay day without mentioning that today is the birthday of Liza Minnelli.

For you kids who are too young to understand, her mother was Judy Garland, whose own father was gay, two of her husbands were gay, the man she handpicked as a husband for her Liza was gay, her gay fans remained her most steadfast fans through the drugs and the booze, the highs and the lows. Her father was Vincente Minnelli, the director of classic MGM musicals like Meet Me In St. Louis (1944), Gigi (1958) and An American In Paris (1951), who lived a life as peculiar as the dream ballets that became his trademark. Even Liza got her start at MGM, at two years old, in a scene with her mother in The Good Old Summertime (1949).

The first two visitors to her famous mother’s bedside when she had given birth to Liza were Frank Sinatra and Noël Coward. Minnelli:

“Honey, I’ve been famous since before I was born.”

That has been both her blessing and her curse.

Fully recognizing her illustrious pedigree (her parents were both Academy Award winners) I first saw her in The Sterile Cuckoo (1969), which brought her an Oscar nomination. I was rather astonished by her performance which was followed by another in Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970). Of course, there was the double whammy in 1972 of the film version of the musical Cabaret plus the television special Liza With A Z, all formidable, heady stuff for a baby gay like me.

Minnelli started her career in her teens, working first in nightclubs, crooning the standards while dreaming of being an actor. While it lacked the glamour of Broadway or the prestige of films, the years of performing before a small audience helped her build her acting chops and her assured stage presence. She was one of the replacements for the role of Luisa in the long-running The Fantasticks Off-Rroadway and on tour. She made it to Broadway with credits that include: Flora The Red Menace (1965), Chicago (1976), The Act (1978), The Rink (1984), Victor/Victoria (1997), plus a series of Broadway concerts, the first in 1974 and the last 2009.

You kids might know Minnelli from her role in the cult hit Arrested Development (2003-05, 2013). What you might not have noticed was the amount of inside jokes the writers crammed into her appearances; mocking and paying homage to everything from her biggest roles to her famous friends. Minnelli camping it up as the horny, rich, dizzy (literally) Lucille was one of the best surprises on a show filled with great ones.

There is no denying the talent: An Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Grammy, BAFTA, and Golden Globe all sit on her mantle, one of only 16 people to have won them all.

For me, Minnelli was miscast in her most famous role as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, a character decidedly marked by her lack of talent. But it is bad casting that worked out rather nicely. Minnelli was absolutely wrong for the role, yet she made it her own and ruined it for every actor that followed.

Through the ups and downs, the drugs and booze, the weight gains and losses, and the marriages, just when she seems a joke, Minnelli redeems and reinvents herself with choices like Results, her terrific 1989 album with Pet Shop Boys.

Minnelli’s performing style is so: “Please, Please, Love Me”, that I find it simply rude not to. At 70 years old she keeps on giving and giving and demanding the love.

Minnelli, performing since  she was 2 eyears old, isn’t about to retire.  Just six months ago, she gave a series of concerts in the UK, including a night at The Palladium, the same venue at her mother’s famous comeback concerts in 1964. Garland died with a huge debt. Minnelli has bills to pay too:

“I have two business managers and they’re both in jail! I mean, Marty Scorsese and I had the same business manager… and he’s in the clink! Luckily, now I insist on always signing my own checks. You learn a little bit as you go along.”

The showbiz must go on.

Minnelli has always been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ people. But did you know that she claims that she told Elizabeth Taylor about HIV/AIDS while talking about their mutual friend, Rock Hudson? She has given a lot  time to Taylor’s organization, amfAR (The Foundation for AIDS Research).

Minnelli has long been associated with the music of Kander and Ebb, and in 1994 she recorded their song The Day After That, donating the proceeds to amfAR. She performed the song in front of thousands of fans at a Central Park concert on the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

Like her mother before her, at least 3 of her husbands were gay. They practically invented the term “Gay Marriage”.

On a lovely spring day in 1977, I followed her for several blocks until she went into the Russian Tea Room, where she met Lauren Bacall in the doorway with a kiss. I followed the pair of stars inside and sat at the bar, but I couldn’t bring myself to approach her. I may have seen her at Studio 54 during that same era, who knows, what with the Quaaludes and the cocaine; maybe I just thought I saw her with Halston, Bianca and Andy.

“Listen, everyone ages but not everyone has to get old. I’ve never lost my curiosity and I think that keeps you young.”

The post #BornThisDay: Liza Minnelli appeared first on The WOW Report.

I’m a sucker for the power of good advertising, and this one is an award -winner if you ever saw one. The newest Under Armour ad featuring 22-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps just kills. But it’s more than just an ad, it’s really a tribute to the grueling grind of the greatest Olympian of all time and what he goes through on a daily basis. Phelps’ extreme work ethic in the pool, in the weight room, and even how he sleeps, are all aimed at sending the 30-year-old legend to his 5th and final Olympic Games. His expressions are raw and with The Kills’ The Last Goodbye as the soundtrack, we are sucked into the theme,

“It’s what you do in the dark, that puts you in the light.”

When Phelps saw it for the first time, he teared up. Watch.

New #RuleYourself spot featuring @MichaelPhelps drops tomorrow. See his emotional reaction the first time he saw it.https://t.co/gc6OclXLOB

— Under Armour (@UnderArmour) March 7, 2016

The post #RuleYourself: When Michael Phelps First Saw This Video He Cried… appeared first on The WOW Report.

Age is just a number, I guess – even if it’s 105!? Aboriginal artist Loongkoonan is proof you can sail past 100 and still keep creating. Born on a ranch in 1910, she is believed to be Australia’s oldest painter. Loongkoonan rejects her “whitefella” name Daisy, given to her in her station days. She just began painting in her late 90s to stay busy.

The oldest speaker of the endangered Nyikina language, Loongkoonan spent her youth exploring the land with her grandparents by foot.

“I still enjoy footwalking my country, showing the young people to chase barni (goannas) and catch fish. In my paintings I show all types of bush tucker – good tucker, that we lived off in the bush. I paint Nyikina country the same way eagles see country when they are high up in the sky.“

Indigenart-Mossenson Galleries owner Diane Mossenson, who purchased the first work produced by Loongkoon, said the artist uses painting as a way to record memories and knowledge of her country. In the dots of the traditional Aboriginal art, Loongkoonan documents her life and connection to the country, along with her knowledge of various plants, bush medicine and bush tucker.

“Loongkoonan’s paintings are records of her connection to country which she foot walked all over when younger. They reflect her intimate knowledge of this land, and as such are a powerful record of Aboriginal heritage and knowledge. Loongkoonan’s message is one of handwork, resilience, endeavour and energy.

Loongkoonan’s beautiful interpretation of country is unique in Indigenous art, as her mark making is delicately beautiful particularly for a Kimberley artist.“

She has created over 375 works, using acrylic paints on canvas and linen, during her short career and shows no signs of slowing down. She is exhibiting in the Biennial of Adelaide and the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C., spreading her knowledge of her land to a wider audience.

I have to say, as a painter half her age, this is VERY encouraging.

(via Mashable)

The post This 105 Year-Old Artist Has Fans Around the World appeared first on The WOW Report.

The great Meryl Streep plays a New York heiress with big dreams in a new Stephen Frears‘ film. Streep’s character in Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Hugh Grant and The Big Bang Theory‘s Simon Helberg. Directed by the brilliant Frears who brought us The Queen, the film is based on the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a NYC heiress who has appropriations of becoming a famous opera singer. She is helped along by her husband/ manager, an aristocratic Brit actor who hides his opinions of his wife’s (lack of) talent and Helberg, who helps to train her all the way to a concert at Carnegie Hall in 1944. Meryl gets to chew the scenery. She tells her coach at one point,

“I have to tell you, I work very hard. I practice for an hour a day. Sometimes two.“

Watch.

The post #FirstLook: Meryl Streep’s “Florence Foster Jenkins” Has Big (Operatic) Dreams appeared first on The WOW Report.

Adam Clayton
Annabeth Gish
Common
Dana Delany
Danny Masterson
Emile Hirsch
Glenne Headly
Kathy Hilton
Molly Stanton
Natalie and Nicole Albino
Neil Sedaka
Toccara Jones
William H. Macy

The post March 13: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch! appeared first on The WOW Report.

March 13, 1892– Janet Flanner:

“I act as a sponge. I soak it up and squeeze it out in ink every two weeks.”

Hey kids, have I ever mentioned that I have had a perpetual subscription to The New Yorker for 53 years? My aunt gave me a year’s worth of the magazine for my birthday when 9 years old. Rather heady stuff for one so young, and so cosmopolitan for a little lad living in Spokane, but I read it each week, then, as now, finding the most enjoyment from the reviews and the cartoons. When my aunt left this world in the early 1970s, my mother continued with her sister’s birthday tradition. My mother, in her mid-80s, becomes panicked when she receives notices from the magazine and I am now paid-up through 2018, if I should live so long.

Today marks the birthday of The New Yorker writer, Janet Flanner, an American who lived for many years in Paris with her lover Solita Solano. Together they traveled in the most fashionable gay social circles and knew everybody who was anybody.

Flanner was best known for her Letter From Paris column which she wrote for The New Yorker from 1925 to 1975 under the pen name, Genêt, which treated readers a coded glimpse of the Parisian in-crowd. The two women quickly became part of the group of American ex-pat writers and artists who lived in the city between the two world wars, when Paris was the cultural capital of our pretty spinning blue orb. Flanner knew and saw everyone and everything about them: Edith Wharton, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Andre Gide, Jean Cocteau, Ernest Hemingway, Charles Lindbergh, F. Scott Fitzgerald, e. e. cummings, Hart Crane, Djuna Barnes, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein and Stein’s girlfriend, even Charles de Gaulle, & she wrote about all of them. She even profiled Adolf Hitler. I simply ate up her column when I was a youth.

Flanner’s personal life was passionate and problematic, and as provocative as her public life. In Paris she found the freedom to live and love as she chose.  Flanner had a lifelong relationship with Solano.  But, it was trenchant and turbulent. You know how those lesbians can be. They each had many other affairs on the side. Flanner tried to keep these relationships separate by commuting constantly from Paris to NYC to Rome, but the balance was precarious and painful.

Flanner was a chain-smoking, driven perfectionist, an intense and compelling writer, and she was easy to spot around Paris and Manhattan, sporting breeches, with her short cropped hair, wearing a monocle.

She won the 1966 National Book Award for her Paris Journal, a riveting account of the years just after the Occupation. Her highly readable memoir, Paris Was Yesterday (1972) made me fall in love with her probity and wit.

Flanner lived in NYC during WW II, taking up with a new lover who she moved in with, Natalia Danesi Murray, a publishing executive and book editor. After the war she returned to Europe to be with Solano, but returned to Murray five years later. They were together until 1978 when Flanner put down her pen at last. When Murray left this world in summer 1994, her ashes were scattered with Flanner’s over Cherry Grove on Fire Island where she and Murray first met. Murray’s son, William, who lived with the women while growing up, wrote his own charming and captivating memoir, Janet, My Mother, And Me (2000), where I got some of this research.

Flanner remains synonymous with the bittersweet, romantic view of Americans in Paris between the two wars. She was deeply disturbed by the war’s implications for the future of European civilization. In both her private correspondence and The New Yorker column, Flanner often expressed her concern over the long-term damage to the cities in Europe, noting with despair:

 “With the material destruction collapsed invisible things that lived within it…”

In 1971, Flanner was the third guest during the infamous scuffle between Gore Vidal and Norman Mailer on The Dick Cavett Show.

“Genius is immediate, but talent takes time.”

The post #BornThisDay: Writer, Janet Flanner appeared first on The WOW Report.

The image above came up in my Facebook feed with the caption,

DO NOT JUST SCROLL PAST THIS PICTURE WITHOUT READING THIS POST FIRST. THANK YOU.

So, I didn’t or rather I did read it. In case you are starting to be turned off already, they say,

“I am not a supporter of Mr. Trump in any way, shape, or form.”

This is Jordan Ray Correll and Seth Quackenboss‘s account of infiltrating a Donald Trump rally in North Carolina and to me, it is an eye-opener (but not surprising) look into who is supporting Trump and the viciousness of their mission.

“We decided to drive down to Fayetteville in order to hear a certain orange politician speak. We went to a Donald Trump rally.

Now, I am not a supporter of Mr. Trump in any way, shape, or form. I’m quite inclined to a certain berning sensation that I’ve been experiencing for some time. But that’s beside the point. The point is, we thought that we were in for a time of jokes and hilarity. And at the beginning, it was. There were a few speakers before Trump came out and they were not well organized at all. They were comical. One man, a veteran, said that he had shed blood on 7 continents. And unless I missed the great Antartica War, I highly doubt that’s true…

One speaker also said that we needed to get rid of 911 calls and we all need to handle our problems ourselves. Well…that’s highly unlikely. I can’t imagine that people will start forgoing 911 calls when their house in burning down in order to try and extinguish the fire themselves. But, ya know, it’s a nice thought.

So, those were laughable moments. Trump was about to come out. We had our signs ready. We were going to go all out. Yelling and screaming and whatnot. Because, why else were we there if not to join the spectacle? He comes out. People go crazy. For the first twenty to thirty minutes I sat there with high expectations of hilarity. After half an hour, my feelings turned extremely grim. I was scared and upset.

Trump basically said the same few things the whole time. He knows exactly what will get a cheer from the crowd and he says it. He mentioned his wall several times. About five or six if I can remember correctly. At one point he said,

“We’re going to build a wall. And who’s going to pay for it?”

And the crowd yelled,

“Mexico!”

and then they lost their minds. Now, we all know exactly why this is stupid. So I won’t elaborate. It was just very unsettling. He mentioned ISIS several times. About ten. But not exactly how to stop ISIS. Just comments like,

“We’re gonna get ISIS,” and “ISIS is going down.”

Blanket statements. He did say that for America to win again (any sort of winning, not just against ISIS) we have to go outside of the law and he isn’t afraid to do it. And that’s unsettling for several reasons. But I’m just reporting the facts.

And that was all he said on policy. Completely void of content or substance. Just statements that would get the crowd cheering.

Now, let’s talk about the protesters. There were many. I think throughout the hour long rally, there were roughly 15-20 groups of protesters. Some of them were individuals and some were in groups. They popped up throughout the rally here and there. And some of them were yelling and causing a ruckus but some of them were just standing there with their anti-Trump shirts or their pro-whoever else shirts. They were ALL removed. Peaceful or violent. One man had a shirt that said,

“Love is the answer.”

He was thrown out. Trump’s comment was,

“And love is very important but I mean, who’s making love to THAT guy?”

My stomach churned. A few minutes later, a woman stood up not far from where the other man was and starting protesting. She was removed. Trump’s comment was,

“he was with the other guy. They’re actually a couple. A [clears throat] beautiful [gagging noises] couple.”

And the crowd laughed and cheered. It was horrifying.

But out of everything I saw, the crowd was the worst part. I have never seen more hateful people in my life. Everyone was just filled with so much hatred. If a protester had a sign, even the peaceful ones, they would take the sign from them, rip it up, and throw it back at the protesters. Whenever a protester would get removed, the crowd would yell horrible things. Once, after a protester was removed, Trump said,

“Where are these people coming from? Who are they?”

A lady, sitting not 5 feet from me, said,

“Well hopefully when you’re president, you’ll get rid of em all!”

Get rid of them? Get rid of anyone who opposes Trump? It was sickening. I felt truly nauseous. And these people loved the protesters. They loved the drama and the chaos. And Trump fed upon it. It was easily one of the strangest and uncomfortable things I’ve ever witnessed. I could just hear the horrible things being spoken around me and it made my skin crawl.

Needless to say, there was very little laughter on my part. I thought this was going to be joke…and it was, but for a very different reason. I implore you, if you’re thinking about voting for Trump, reconsider. You are only promoting chaos and hatred. I witnessed it firsthand. And trust me, this is not something you want to see in person. This is not what you want to happen to our country.

But I’ll leave you with this picture we took with our souvenir. This was taken just before I lost all innocence and faith in humanity.”

(Photo, Sean Rayford/Getty)

(via Facebook)

The post These Guys Were Spies in the House of Trump. What They Saw & Heard Will Worry You appeared first on The WOW Report.

In the late ’80s, artist Beverly Doolittle and her husband Jay decided they wanted a memorable house on 10 beautiful acres in Joshua Tree. They enlisted architect Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, who fell in love with the site and Beverly told the Desert Sun,

“He was jumping all over the rocks like a mountain goat. He had been looking for rocks to build on.“

The couple gave him free rein and in ’88 work began on this concrete, steel, glass, and copper house, inserted naturally on the rocky site. It was completed in ’93, but interior designer John Vugrin spent the rest of the millennium tweaking it and the Doolittles didn’t move in until after 2000. They want to downsize now and have already split for Utah, so they’re selling this Bond villain—ready pad for $3 million. Your move, Blofeld.

(Photos, Lance Gerber; via LA Curbed)

The post #RealEstatePorn: Bond Villain Lair Available! appeared first on The WOW Report.

Barbie’s Dream House, 1962

Barbie & Ken in ’62

This last week, 57 years ago, Barbie was born in the fake town of Willows, Wisconsin. Barbara Millicent Roberts was first introduced to the world at the New York Toy Fair and every decade since her official “birth” has seen Barbie moving in and out of updated Dreamhouses. Beginning with the all-cardboard version in 1962, the colors were bold and bright in gold and orange, and there were slight nods to the Abstract Expressionist wave in art that was popular at the time. If you look closely, she also kept records in the house that featured real bands from the early ’60s. And today’s 2016 version happens to be the world’s first smart, interactive dollhouse.

Take a tour of all of her stylish Dreamhouses throughout the years.

Barbie’s Townhouse, 1974

Barbie Dream House, 1979

Barbie Townhouse, 1983

Barbie Magical Mansion, 1990

Barbie Deluxe Dreamhouse, 1998

Barbie Dreamhouse, 2012

Barbie Dreamhouse, 2013

Barbie Dreamhouse, 2015

(Photos, Mattel; via Vogue)

The post #RealEstatePorn: Tour 6 Decades of Barbie’s Dreamhouses appeared first on The WOW Report.