Who Do You Believe?

Wait, I have a Kleenex...

I honestly try not to be a gossip blogger. But sometimes an item comes along that requires both mention and comment, especially after a second person has come forward in almost as many days.

Yes, I'm talking about the one that I wanted, none other than Tony Manero; Danny Zucco;Vincent Vega and Edna Turblad himself, John Travolta. And yes, I'm talking about the two masseurs who recently came forward to accuse the long rumored-to-be-gay actor of wanting more than his shoulders rubbed. And this is not the first or second time the same allegation has been made by a masseur. It has also been alleged that Travolta trolled steam rooms and bath houses for close encounters of the queer kind.

OK - I must admit to being conflicted over this story. As a teenager, I found Travolta immensely attractive (as did every young straight gal and gay male in the country, if not the world). Gay rumors have dogged the actor for his entire career. Such rumors dog other celebs like Will Smith, Tom Cruise and Hugh Jackman. Of the three, only Jackman is publicly amused and flattered by the attention - obviously the response of a progressive-thinking straight man with a sense of humor. Of course, Travolta's camp issued a flat-out denial of the allegations.

Bad Movie/Buff Travolta

I have no idea who to believe here. I would hope that if these allegations prove to be true (and that's a big "if"), Travolta will finally come clean, once and for all. It's the 21st century - no one should care anymore. Sadly, some morons still do care. And while I continue to express my disdain for those who out others without consent, I also can't help but say that someone working to a keep a secret has to be a little more discreet. 

Not that there aren't plenty of stories out there about Cruise and Smith. Some of the accounts of Smith's alleged assignations are legen -- wait for it -- dary! Of course, it just may be that the Church of Loonatology helps them all cover their tracks. Wait - Smith's not a Loonatologist, you say? They've been courting him forever. Who's to say what ideas have already rubbed off on him or how far they'll go to get him to join their flock of zomblebrities (yes - I just made up yet another word). 

And it should go without saying that I have as much use for the Loonatologists as I do a boil on my heinie. Really? Your founder was a drug-addled writer of bad-science fiction. You don't think the whole thing just might be the result of a bad trip or a sick joke? 

Wait, I have a Kleenex...

Here's the thing - this is 2012, folks. No one should care who anyone is sleeping with. Or screwing; boinking; banging; boffing; f*&^ing; making the beast with two backs; doing the horizontal mambo or otherwise gettin' it on. It's no one's business but those people doing those things, anyway. If you are a celebrity, part of the price you pay is personal scrutiny. If you aren't willing to tell the truth about yourself, then you damned well better go out of your way to keep that lie alive.

This isn't the 1950's or even the 1970's. Information, scandal and innuendo are 24/7 these, days. Everyone has a camera. Everyone is "jacked in." Everyone is a voyeur. As we've learned with several politicians and at least one discredited anti-gay 'scientist,' there's no such thing as privacy, anymore.

If these allegations prove to be true, I hope Travolta will man-up and admit to it. I won't like the way it happened, but I'll be happy that another person is no longer living a very public lie. The more celebrities that come out, the better.

If the allegations are not proven (if this even goes to trial without settlements), then I will offer up an apology to Travolta and every falsely-accused straight man in the world. Don't hold your breath, though.

Ugh!

More, anon.
Prospero

Turn Off the Weird

All over the place in weird and odd entertainment news today. Let's start with news (via) that megalomaniacal director Julie Taymor is now suing the producers of the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. After months of accidents and horrible pre-opening reviews, Taymor was fired from the show and replaced by director Phillip McKinley (The Boy from Oz). The Guild of Directors and Choreographers has filed the suit on her behalf, claiming the show (which is raking in over $1M a week) has failed to compensate her for continued use of her work and is seeking $300,000.00.  Long-time readers know how I feel about this entire project. I have not seen the show in any of its incarnations (nor do I ever intend to do so), so I have no idea how much of Taymor's work is actually used in the production that is running now. I do know she co-wrote the original book, but a writer from Marvel was brought in to fix it after she 'left.' Still, it seems to me that $300k is a measly price to pay to be rid of her, once and for all. If I were her, knowing that I'll probably never work on Broadway again, I'd ask for more.

Speaking of megalomaniacal directors, creepy Brett Ratner (the man who single-handedly ruined the X-Men franchise), has resigned as producer of the 2012 Oscars after making a homophobic slur at a question and answer session following the premiere of his latest cinematic turd, Tower Heist. When asked about rehearsals for the film, Ratboy replied "Rehearsals are for f*gs." He then went on Howard Stern's satellite radio program where he claimed (among other things) that he was "very, very good" at performing a certain oral sex act with women. After some pressure from GLAAD, he issued a lame apology. Today, after many LGBT reporters, industry insiders and performers called for his firing, he resigned, saying in part (via):

"So many artists and craftspeople in our business are members of the LGBT community, and it pains me deeply that I may have hurt them. I should have known this all along, but at least I know it now: words do matter. Having love in your heart doesn’t count for much if what comes out of your mouth is ugly and bigoted. With this in mind, and to all those who understandably feel that apologies are not enough, please know that I will be taking real action over the coming weeks and months in an effort to do everything I can both professionally and personally to help stamp out the kind of thoughtless bigotry I’ve so foolishly perpetuated.

"As a first step, I called Tom Sherak this morning and resigned as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast. Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career. But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents."

I say: "Good riddance to bad rubbish." The man is a pig. He looks like he smells bad and I have never seen a single one of his films that I could, in good conscience, recommend. Really - does this look remotely funny to you?

In other lawsuits (also via), an Oregon man named Bilal Ahmed is suing Lionsgate over use of his image in the 2010 Russell Crowe (another Hollywood asshat) film The Next Three Days (I barely remember it existed, too). Ahmed claims that since his picture was used without his authorization in a group of photos depicting terrorists, his job prospects have been diminished and he has been forced to change his appearance (cutting his hair and beard) so that he won't be associated with actual terrorists. There's no indication as to where the filmmakers got his photo. Here's the trailer for the movie from overrated director Paul Haggis (Crash):

And finally, while not an Industry related story, this sounds like the plot of a horror movie. 45 year-old Russian historian Anatoly Moskvin has been arrested after he was discovered to have the remains of 29 young women in his Moscow apartment, dressed in brightly colored clothing and posed in a bizarre tableau. The Miami Herald reports that Moskvin had several books on doll making and was caught after a long investigation into a series of grave-robberies in the city. A linguist and expert on Celtic culture, Moskvin reportedly claimed that his fascination with the dead started when he was a boy and was forced to kiss the corpse of a young girl in a passing funeral procession. Eeeeeewwwwwww!

Well, I hope I haven't given you (or myself) bad dreams, with that last item. If I did, I apologize in advance.

More. anon.

Prospero