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Watercooler:
A gay Real Housewife?
Ramin Setoodeh, the reporter who wrote a
Newsweek.com article claiming that gay actors can’t play straight
characters Left Newsweek for People this week.
In
his article, Setoodeh analyzed openly gay Sean Hayes’ performance in
the Broadway revival of Promises,
Promises .
He wrote, “Hayes is among Hollywood’s best verbal
slapstickers, but his sexual orientation is part of who he is, and also
part of his charm. …[F]rankly, it’s weird seeing Hayes play straight. He
comes off as wooden and insincere, as if he’s trying to hide something,
which of course he is.”
Setoodeh faced a lot of backlash for his
comments, including from Hayes’ costar, Kristin Chenoweth who called the
article “horrendously homophobic.”
In an interview with MSNBC , Setoodeh defended his
conclusion.
“I was trying to think of the last time I saw a gay
actor in a movie. It’s not a very common occurrence in Hollywood and I
wondered why, and a lot of actors are coming out of the closet and
that’s great, a lot of people are more tolerant about the gay community
and that’s great, as a member of the gay community, that’s great, but
it’s still not progress. It’s still not equality, when you still don’t
have a lot of gay actors playing straight in Hollywood movies; it’s
still not there yet.”
When Setoodeh’s interviewer asked
about openly gay actor Neil Patrick Harris’ performance as a straight
man on the CBS comedy, How I Met Your Mother, Setoodeh said, “He’s on
that show, his character isn’t gay, but his character is sort of a
broad, funny caricature. It’s not a real character like the characters
you see in a movie like Up in the Air or even The Proposal.”
Setoodeh
will begin working as a senior writer on People’s news and human
interest team in mid-July.
In an interview with The New York Observer , People editor Larry Hackett
said of Setoodeh, “He’s a dynamic guy; I think he’s going to be
terrific for the staff.”
Pedro Segarra, the president of the
Hartford, Conn., City Council and an out gay man , will be taking
over as mayor of Hartford. The current mayor, Eddie Perez, is expected
to hand in his resignation on Friday. Perez was recently convicted of
bribery and extortion.
“I didn’t walk into city hall with the
expectation that I would be mayor,” Segarra said, “but for those of us
in public service, we do what’s necessary.”
Segarra was born in Maricao, Puerto
Rico, moved to the Bronx when he was 7, landed in Hartford as a
15-year-old and has been there ever since. He graduated from Hartford
schools and is a regular participant in the Puerto Rican Day and Gay
Pride parades.
Segarra will take over the mayor’s office for the
remainder of Perez’s term, which ends in November 2011. While in the
past Hartford had been considered an economically depressed city, it is
now being revitalized, most recently with the opening of a new
convention center and science center.
“I love this city,” said
Segarra. “I’m very optimistic about the future of Hartford.”
The
Mashantucket
Pequot Tribal Nation announced its new anti-discrimination policy for LGBT employees
yesterday.
“The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is no stranger
to discrimination and the struggle for dignity and equality, dating as
far back as the early 17th century,” said Mashantucket Pequot Gaming
Enterprises spokesperson, Robert Victoria.
The tribe operates Foxwoods Casino, the largest
resort casino in the world and the new anti-discrimination laws will
apply to the over-8,000 employees who work at Foxwoods.
After
Danielle Staub of The Real Housewives of New Jersey performed with the
out lesbian musician Lori Michaels on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens
Live,” rumors of her sexuality started popping up.
The reality
television star has encouraged the rumors by keeping her sexuality in
question.
Staub said, “I want that question mark there. If I’m
suggesting something, people pay attention. A long time ago, I realized
the power of my fame and that my work on Bravo has given me a voice.
Women are going to talk about me, why not use my fame for awareness.”
In
an interview with FOX411.com, Staub said that she is a member of “the
gay community.”
“I haven’t even begun my work in the gay community
yet,” said Staub. “I want to go to Senate, I want to pass a bill and
get gay marriage legalized. I go to events, I march in rallies. I’ve
been a part of the gay community for 30 years.”
“I don’t feel as
comfortable around mainstream society as I do around that community,”
she said. “I don’t feel as comfortable around heterosexual people as I
do around gay people.”
Though they never came out publicity but it is there.
Gay people can play straight actor and do it well.That is why they are actors.
Acting all of the time.
Tryone Power and even Erroll Flynn.We had a slew of them.Of course most of them came out after they were dead.