LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Hollywood Hotsheet |
MTV Announces Shepard TV Movie
MTV recently announced plans to create original made-for- television movies, the first slated to air at the end of the year. One of the films currently in pre-production for the year 2000 is Anatomy of a Hate Crime, the story of slain Wyoming gay college student Matthew Shepard. MTV described the murder as "a wake-up call for all of us," and the movie as the "riveting story of a hate crime in America." Anatomy of a Hate Crime will run in conjunction with MTV's ongoing campaign, Fight for Your Rights: Take a Stand Against Violence. In other MTV news, the network's new original series Undressed, which is about relationships, love and of course sex, recently included an explicit gay one-night stand. Each Undressed episode focuses on three fictional couples and what happens in their most intimate moments. The cast is essentially a revolving door, as the show focuses on different relationships for approximately three or four nights. For this past week Evan, a handsome gay college student, has been trying desperately to work "the last nerve" of his new straight roommate, Cliff, in order to get the room to himself. Evan's camped it up, hung posters around the room of partially nude men, and even tried to kiss Cliff. Much to Evan's surprise, Cliff could not care less that Evan's gay, and the two surprisingly have begun to form a close friendship. In the August 5 episode, Cliff walked in on Evan and a one-night stand embracing (naked) in bed. Kudos to MTV for filming this homosexual encounter in the same "straight" forward manner as the numerous heterosexual encounters on the show. Undressed, which airs every weeknight at 11:00 p.m., will be continued into the early fall. GLAAD has learned that Evan will not be the last lesbian or gay character featured on the show. Other Happenings Etheridge Celebrates 20 Year Reunion: Rocker Melissa Etheridge celebrated her 20-year high school reunion last month with 100 of her former classmates from the Leavenworth (Kansas) High School Class of '79. Etheridge, who attended solo, had one unwelcome surprise. Vehement homophobe Fred Phelps tried unsuccessfully to crash the event according to the Kansas City Star. Isn't Phelps in a class of his own? Will & Grace Get Behind the Wheel: Last week, NBC gave "thank-you" silver convertibles to the cast members of NBC's Will & Grace. Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally each received identical Porsche Boxters, estimated to cost approximately $100,000 each. On other Will & Grace news, the show is moving from the 9:30 p.m. timeslot on Tuesdays into a 9:00 p.m. anchor slot. Talk of the Town: Jerry Seinfeld, Madonna, Hugh Grant, Spike Lee, Demi Moore and Lauren Bacall were among the 800 guests that partied the night away on Monday at the foot of Lady Liberty in New York Harbor. The stars were helping to celebrate the premiere issue of Talk, publishing giant Tina Brown's new magazine that just hit the stands. Also on hand was Rupert Everett, who is featured in the issue "as the bisexual 007." Everett, who is co-writing a gay 007 film, poses provocatively with both men and women as the world's most famous secret agent for Talk. Gianni's Palace Up For Sale: Slain international fashion designer Gianni Versace's former home on Miami's hot South Beach has been put on the market for a cool $23 million. The 12 bedroom mansion, the only private home on the beach-front Ocean Drive, was where Versace was murdered by Andrew Cunanan in 1997. You Don't Say? "It's like watching somebody walk down the street and you see the banana peel ahead of them and you're wondering: Are they gonna miss it or are they gonna fall? You kind of want them to fall." Ellen DeGeneres in Daily Variety on watching someone host the Primetime Emmys. Ellen hosted in 1994. Hollywood Hotsheet is a service of GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. GLAAD is a registered trademark of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 9, No. 11, Aug. 13, 1999 |