Rock Hudson, James Dean, Montgomery Clift, Anthony Perkins, Farley Granger, Tab Hunter: Was any heartthrob movie star straight in the straitlaced 1950s? Hunter and Perkins dated each other for several years while the press reported phony stories that Hunter was involved with Debbie Reynolds or Natalie Wood. Born Arthur Kelm, he eventually made more than 50 movies after being rechristened "Tab Hunter" by his agent Henry Willson, a gay man who also handled Rock Hudson, Troy Donahue, Robert Wagner, and loads of others; read Willson's disturbing biography
Russo For ten years, from 1972 to 1982, Vito Russo toured the country giving what would later be a PowerPoint presentation about the portrayal of lesbians and gay men in the media. His devastating book on the subject, The Celluloid Closet, published in 1981 and revised in 1987, was years ahead of its time and remains essential reading today. The book was made into a documentary in 1996, six years after his death from aids. Russo’s sharp critique of the industry led him to co-found the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). It is hard to imagine the principled visionary connected to today’s GLAAD, which endorsed such overblown caricature-fests as Boat Trip and praised I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry despite
the movie’s parade of stereotypes. Finally, Russo has been given the biography he deserves in Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo [Kindle] and in the documentary Vito.
White Crane released two new volumes of Vito's uncollected writings Out Spoken: A Vito Russo Reader - Reel One
. He wrote twenty-four plays (his twentieth, Le bel indifférent, was created for Edith Piaf and became a towering success). He wrote eleven ballets (his second, Parade, was produced by Diaghilev and designed by Picasso). He wrote six operas. He was a graphic designer, a clothes designer, and an interior designer. He painted. He drew. He photographed. He managed a professional boxer, who became the sport's first Hispanic world champion. He was an actor. And he made six feature films, two of which happen to be among the most lauded in the history of cinema, 
and 
, both of which star his boyfriend, superstar idol Jean Marais. God only knows where 
recommends her Hooters character 
, hairdresser Anatole falls for 18 year-old hustler Leigh who then gets with Anatole's friend Lydia; 
, ten years later Tony looks back at being plucked from rural obscurity at 16 by gay art filmmaker Carlos Reichart; 
[
19 year-old (or early 20s?) upstate "redneck" Jesse who comes to love the ailing 49 year-old Manhattan escapee Cameron whom his homophobic brother Kyle is plotting to exploit. Russell's dazzling sixth novel 
[
, midcentury movie star Farley Granger joined the Navy at 19 and on his first voyage, from San Francisco to Honolulu, was seasick the whole way losing 23 pounds and needing to be hospitalized when they reached land. Thus it was that the almost too pretty Granger spent the war onshore in Hawaii, working the enlisted men's club on Waikiki Beach or helping entertain the troops under the command of the never-married Shakespearean actor 
[and 
[and 
]. That book, he says, finally came together for him when he realized it was the story of "a monster raised by a witch."
, who could resist his next book, out today, 
[and 
opposite a baby Colin Firth), sourly against gay marriage ("beyond tragic"), Rupert Everett at 55 has finally settled into the dual careers he was always meant to have, stage actor and author. Last year he was nominated for an Olivier Award for playing Oscar Wilde in a West End revival of The Judas Kiss, and he is writing a biopic covering Wilde's final years. Also last year he co-starred with Benedict Cumberbatch, Janet McTeer, and Rebecca Hall in a five-part minseries of 
He has published two novels, which I expected to be charming and frivilous and found to be charming and affecting: 
and 
and 
, are spiced with sharper flavors. He shifts between politely savaging the egomania of his more famous co-stars and dutifully recording the wisdom of his family: 'You were such a solitary child,' Granny says dreamily. 'Very quiet. You always played alone. You hated birthday parties. Now I read in Hello! that you're the life and soul of every party. What happened?'
of Chris Bram's 
. Out since 1988, he co-founded Stonewall UK, the lgbt rights powerhouse, in response to the deplorable Section 28, and he's been an unabashed activist on queer issues ever since. He has won a Golden Globe, a Tony, a SAG award, two Critics' Choice awards, four Drama Desk awards, and six Olivier awards, and been nominated for two Oscars, four BAFTAs, and five Emmys. He was knighted in 1991. Playing off Sir Ian, Stephen Fry calls him Serena. He is also 
or his opus 
, which won a National Book Award.
, and lived with his co-star Cicely Tyson for a year and a half. After that, he split for San Francisco where he met Charles Gillan Jr., an architect and set designer on "Married … With Children," "Who's the Boss?" "Mad About You" and "The Nanny." They stayed together for 30 years. Returning to LA, he again played opposite Cicely Tyson in 
and yet again when he starred as Martin Luther King Jr. in the miniseries King, for which he and she were both nominated for Emmys. In the 80s and 90s he appeared in twenty-five films including 
, 
, 
, and 
Although open in his social life, he was closeted in public, yet played gay characters in 
and 
the MacArthur genius who wrote 
or Alex London's 
.) I don't think there's the pressure anymore to tell "the" lgbtq story, and instead the focus is on telling "a" lgbtq story. There's not the assumption that there's a single story to tell; instead it's about finding all of the interesting facets, and illuminating them. As in life, being lgbtq is a part of the character and part of the story, but it doesn't have to determine the entire plot."
[and 
. Darren's movie is the gay high school comedy 
[stream 
]. I watched it. Even though it boasts the new, new acceptance, the movie feels really dated? And that thing where you know what's going to happen before it happens? And what the characters are going to say before you check online to see if it's really ten years since Mean Girls? And nineteen years since Clueless? Which makes you sad? Inside? Sort of? But then omg that blond girl wasted in like the minorest role is the incredible Evanna Lynch. Luna Lovegood! More sad.
. One surprise there is when Ron Swanson wet-fingers Jason Sudeikis' earhole. Another surprise is the terrific young actor Will Poulter, who won a Bafta for this funny, heartfelt performance.
. Undiminished even in the age of txtng, he is the subject of Colm Toibin's IMPAC Dublin winner 
and the reigning spirit of Alan Hollinghurst's Booker winner 
. Exactly one year ago, the Pulitzer judges named as a finalist Michael Gorra's superb 
[
], which was also a NBCC nominee and a best book of the year at The New Yorker, WSJ, the Guardian, and The Millions.
(my favorite, after the jump) or see him in front of the camera in 
(1990), followed by 
(1993), 
(1996), a PEN West prize nominee 
[
(2000), and the Lammy-nominated 
[
and