In other Ellen news, however, we were a bit bummed to hear De Rossi reveal that creators of “Arrested Development” had wanted DeGeneres to appear in the fourth season, but it didn’t work out.
“I would want her to play herself,” said De Rossi, who plays Lindsay Bluth on the popular show, according to a report from Australian media outlet PerthNow.com.
‘Glee’ star comes out on Filipino television
Charice Pempengco, the Filipino singer and actress who plays Sunshine Corazon on the Fox hit “Glee,” told a Filipino talk show June 2 that she is a lesbian.
“I don’t know what the problem is because for me, there is no problem with that,” she told “The Buzz,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. “So now I ask for forgiveness from those who don’t understand. And those who cannot accept. I apologize: I understand you.”
Lauryn Hill: ‘Neurotic’ or anti-gay?
R&B singer Lauryn Hill, who will soon report to prison for three months for tax evasion, took to Tumblr on June 1 to respond to controversy over her song “Neurotic Society,” Huffington Post reported.
Critics have called the song anti-gay over lyrics like “Quick scam and drag queens / Real life’s been blasphemed” and references to “girl men” and “social transvestism.”
Via her Tumblr, Hill said the song “is not targeting any particular group of people, but rather targeting everyone in our society who hides behind neurotic behavior, rather than deal with it.”
She continued, “The whole world suffers from a lack of honest dialogue. Character and integrity have suffered at the hands of political correctness and corporate agenda, while our society moves further and further towards unhealthiness and breakdown. I oppose these trends.”
RuPaul takes on Amanda Bynes over anti-gay slur
Seems troubled actress and former child star Amanda Bynes can add pissing off a world-famous drag queen to her long list of woes. RuPaul, who got his start in Atlanta, took on Bynes after she used “faggot” in a Twitter post that has since been deleted.
Bynes was apparently angry at People Magazine calling her lost and alone. “Follow me on twitter you faggots!” she tweeted, according to DListed.
Responded RuPaul on June 2, also via Twitter: “Derogatory slurs are ALWAYS an outward projection of a person’s own poisonous self-loathing @AmandaBynes.”
Huffington Post has the rundown, and even provides an amusing and disturbing slide show of other stars guilty of homophobic tweets.
Atlanta-based ‘Equally Family’ website debuts
Kirsten Ott Palladino and Maria Palladino, the Atlanta couple behind the LGBT wedding website Equally Wed, have launched Equally Family, a site aimed at LGBT parents and other diverse families.
The Palladinos are mothers to twin toddlers and the new site — which features the slogan “Pride. Joy. Love.” — offers sections on building a family, pregnancy, baby’s first year, parenting, our community and news.
The site also offers “Real Families” profiles, similar to the popular “Real Weddings” profiles at Equally Wed.
Check out the beta site at www.equallyfamily.com. GA Voice also partners with Equally Wed on Atlanta Gay Weddings, an annual print guide; look for the second issue in Fall 2013.
Lambda Liteary Awards honor diverse authors
Looking for some summer reading? Winners of the 25th annual Lambda Literary Awards were announced June 3 in New York City, honoring books in two dozen categories.
The top prize in Gay General Fiction went to “Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club” by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Thrity Umrigar won the Lesbian General Fiction category with “The World We Found.” The award for Transgender Fiction went to “The Collection: Short Fiction From The Transgender Vanguard,” edited by Tom Léger and Riley MacLeod. Visit www.lambdaliterary.org for the full list of finalists and winners.
Concert watch: Brandi Carlile joins Chastain line-up
Atlanta’s summer music calendar continues to fill in, with multiple concerts featuring gay artists or artists with huge LGBT fan bases. Among the latest to announce is out musician Brandi Carlile, who plays Chastain Park Amphitheatre on July 27 as part of Live Nation’s Concert Series B. Tickets to the series are on sale now; individual shows go on sale Saturday, June 15.
Other big upcoming shows of LGBT interest include Indigo Girls & Joan Baez (June 14-15 at Chastain), The B-52s (June 28 at Atlanta Botanical Garden), Cyndi Lauper (July 2 at Symphony Hall) and the Village People (July 12 at Cobb Energy Centre).