“‘If we were gay, we would tell you’
 |
| Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King |
In the August issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, the talk-show host explains that some people misunderstand her close friendship with Gayle King.
“I understand why people think we’re gay,” she says. “There isn’t a definition in our culture for this kind of bond between women. So I get why people have to label it how can you be this close without it being sexual?”
In a long article, Winfrey, 52, and King converse about their 30 years of friendship and “four-times-a-day phone calls.”
The two friends say they would have no problem telling the public if they were in a sexual relationship.
“The truth is, if we were gay, we would tell you, because there’s nothing wrong with being gay,” says King.
Says Winfrey: “Something about this relationship feels otherworldly to me, like it was designed by a power and a hand greater than my own. Whatever this friendship is, it’s been a very fun ride.”
Furtado attracted to women
Nelly Furtado says she’s attracted to women as well as men and believes that all people are essentially bisexual.
The Promiscuous star believes people should have the freedom to experiment with their sexuality and has no qualms being attracted to the same sex.
She tells European gay magazine Gus: “I’m reading a book about Chinese medicine, which claims that people are inherently bisexual to balance their energies.
“And, in a way, that makes so much sense. As humans we have both male and female energies.
“I believe Kurt Cobain’s statement that, in the end, everyone is gay. Everybody should have the freedom to experiment. I believe sexual experimentation is part of human history.”
The Fly Like A Bird singer admits she is attracted to women adding: “Absolutely! Women are beautiful and sexy!”
Everett, Sedaris shout for “‘Shrek’
Rupert Everett will reprise his role as Prince Charming for the upcoming sequel “Shrek the Third,” but don’t expect any fair maidens to launch into a chorus of “Someday My Prince Will Come.” Defeated at the end of “Shrek 2,” the prince returns with a mob of storybook villains to take over the Land of Far, Far Away.
But fear not the bad guys will have to face off against an elite, ninja-style team of princesses, led by Fiona (Cameron Diaz). This quintet (cue the “Fox Force Five” jokes) will include “SNL” stars Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Cheri Oteri as, respectively, Snow White, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty.
Meanwhile, Cinderella is to be voiced by Amy Sedaris, best known as bisexual ex-junkie Jerri Blank in “Strangers with Candy.” Talk about a fractured fairy tale.
Kidman to play Dietrich in “‘Witness’
Recently remarried A-lister Nicole Kidman earned an Academy Award for playing bisexual author Virginia Woolf in “The Hours,” and now it looks like she’ll be stepping into the shoes of one of the screen’s most legendary bisexual actresses, too.
Kidman is slotted to star opposite Al Pacino as the possibly homicidal wife of a murder suspect in an upcoming remake of the classic courtroom thriller “Witness for the Prosecution.” That’s the part screen goddess Marlene Dietrich memorably took on in the classic 1957 Billy Wilder movie, based on Agatha Christie’s play.
Wilder’s movie which also starred Tyrone Power, Charles Laughton, and Elsa Lanchester had a cast that was gayer than most pride parades.
We’re not telling whether Kidman’s character is the killer, but there’s no doubt she’ll look “To Die For” in the witness box.
Elton, Scissor Sisters dress up
Since New York Fashion Week this September will be including presentations by the season-three finalists from “Project Runway,” you might think that this annual cavalcade of designing men and women and their new clothes couldn’t get any gayer. Wrong!
Elton John will be headlining “Fashion Rocks,” a concert to benefit the singer’s AIDS foundation, and the lineup includes those huge-in-England homos the Scissor Sisters, alongside such queer faves as Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, the Pussycat Dolls, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, the Black-Eyed Peas, Rihanna, Kanye West, Nelly Furtado, and many more.
The concert, which will also include fashion segments, will be broadcast on CBS on Sept. 8, one night after the live show goes down in Manhattan.
“‘Mrs. Stevens’ hits big screen
On the heels of massive success of “Brokeback Mountain,” look for lots of beloved queer literary properties to make their way to a multiplex near you.
One such book is lesbian author May Sarton’s “Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing,” which has been adapted by first-time filmmaker Linda Thornburg. The film tells the story of poet and novelist Hilary Stevens who, as she awaits the arrival of two interviewers in the 1960s, recalls her life and loves in the ’20s and ’30s.
Lucy Brightman plays the adult Hilary, while Acacia Leigh Duncan tackles the teenage years. You can catch “Mrs. Stevens” as it makes the film-festival rounds right now, with a theatrical release soon after.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, July 21, 2006.